Akatsuki's Brats
by Ms Trick
Summary: Immediately after passing Kakashi's bell training, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura are abducted by the Akatsuki. The consequence is a very different world. But sometimes at the core, nothing's quite as different as it seems. NaruSasuNaru. Onesided SakSasori.
1. Prologue

**Akatsuki's Brats**

Prologue

* * *

_Author_: Ms Trick

_Summary_: Immediately after passing Kakashi's bell training, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura are abducted by the Akatsuki. The consequence is a very different world. But sometimes at the core, nothing's quite as different as it seems.

_Pairings_: NaruSasuNaru, onesided SakuraSasori

_Notes_: I thrive on reviews. I really appreciate feedback on my stories. Like you have no idea.

* * *

Kakashi dragged a fingernail along the mahogany bar top, keeping his eye on the tiny round table in one of the dimmer corners of the tavern. The small room was crowded with civilians and plumes of cigarette smoke rose to splay against the dirty ceiling. Two pints of cheap golden beer were clunked down in front of him. He picked them up and casually made his way back to the table.

He set them down and took his seat, facing his unwilling drinking partner. She eyed the drinks with a sullen amusement.

"Sharing a drink with the apprentice of a master of poisons...you sure you're still on top of your game, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi remained silent, his uncovered eye making note of her lips pressed thinly together and the criticizing glint in her eyes. Her hair was kept off her face in pair of unkempt French braids that snaked down behind her shoulders. She was skinny too. Skinnier than she really should have been. She had been his captive for the last two days and at mealtimes, he offered her food. But he was always met with a gaze full to the brim with distrust and she ate only enough and only when she had to. But she had been skinny before that.

"Besides, I'm not even old enough to drink, technically," she laughed, reaching towards the foaming tankard.

The movement was somewhat encumbered by the strong, chakra-infused rope that bound her wrists tightly together. Despite the hindrance, she lifted the full drink to her lips with both hands and took a girlish sip that Kakashi thought was more suited to the person she had been. It seemed almost comical now, though.

"You're sixteen," he stated.

"That's right," she said evenly, setting the drink back down and eying his full one. She guessed it was going to remain untouched the entire night.

"Sakura, where are Naruto and Sasuke?" the copy-nin demanded, effectively deadening the small talk. He slouched comfortably in his chair, looking for all the world like he was enjoying himself. But Sakura didn't miss the slight tension in the gloved hands resting on the tabletop.

He wasn't letting his guard down, even after she had been stripped of every weapon and poison he had found on her person. This pleased her somewhat.

"How about...we start at the beginning?" She drawled, her fingers playing with the handle of the glass tankard even as her wrists remained bound. "How about we talk about _you_ losing us, Kakashi? How about we move our conversation in the direction of discussing how _your carelessness_ left you without the first students you ever passed? And on the very day you passed them."

Her nasty tone was dicing but Kakashi let the provoking comments wash over him like breezes. He could feel the crush of guilt later. Right now, he needed a story.

"Let's see..." She continued. "You vanished into thin air, if I remember correctly, leaving me and dear old Sasuke to untie Naruto from a log. And then--poof," she bit out. "Stolen. Right from the Konoha training grounds by members of a group of terrorists. Heh, we were so happy that we had passed the almighty Hatake Kakashi's bell test...and the next thing, I wake up with all those dreams I'd had snatched away. Being an upstanding Konoha ninja, my loving family...poof!"

Kakashi folded his arms and sat back. She narrowed her hard green eyes at him and took a more confident gulp of beer.

"And then it's a fucking meat market. Me, Naruto, Sasuke, and a bunch of other jailbait kids are hogtied and ready for apprentice picking."

"You were allotted to Sasori," Kakashi supplied in a monotone.

Sakura's gaze hardened further and she looked away with a painful bite of anger. People milled into the bar; drinks were being ordered loudly and then consumed enthusiastically.

"Who were Naruto and Sasuke assigned to?"

Though Kakashi had made himself heard over the din, Sakura didn't answer for a few seconds. She wryly thought that her old sensei had to have access to the spy network; he probably already knew the answers to half the questions he was going to ask her. She chewed on her tongue and then turned back to the masked ninja with a smirk.

"That's where it gets interesting. Orochimaru got Sasuke. An Uchiha. Just like he wanted. And Uchiha Itachi himself got Naruto."

Kakashi started. It was barely a sudden tensing of the shoulders but it was so out of line with his stoic attitude that, to Sakura, it appeared nearly exaggerated.

"The Akatsuki hunts jinchuurikis," Kakashi stated.

Sakura frowned. "Yes," she confirmed, unsure of why they had suddenly moved onto a new topic.

"The apprentices helped?"

Another frown. "Yes."

"Naruto as well?"

"What the fuck are you going on about this for? Yes, Naruto would have had to aid Itachi in the search for his assigned target, which was the jinchuuriki with the Nine-Tailed Fox."

Incredulous but not revealing an ounce of it, Kakashi searched her face for any sign of untruthfulness and she stared back, confused but instinctively defiant.

"Has the Kyuubi been located?"

"As far as I know, not yet."

_If she's telling the truth...__Well, I'll be damned..._Kakashi thought, nearly disbelieving the irony.

"Where's Naruto now?"

"Wherever Itachi is, probably."

"And Sasuke?"

"Long story."

"So start at the beginning."

She looked straight at him for a long time, her eyes catching the dim light of the bar like jewels. She thought bitterly of Sasori. Of Orochimaru. Of who she had been. Of who Sasuke and Naruto had been. Of who they were now.

"I guess I've got nothing to lose."


	2. Ch 1  Snakes and Wasps

**Akatsuki's Brats**

Ch 1 - Snakes and Wasps

* * *

_Author_: Ms Trick

_Notes_: I thrive on reviews. I really appreciate feedback on my stories. Like you have no idea.

* * *

**One Month Ago**

Sakura tossed and jolted awake from her highly uncomfortable sleep. Her stomach was _roiling_. She lurched to her feet and stumbled over the cave's uneven ground, her feet slipping a little on the sandy stone. Reaching the small entrance, she clutched a boulder and fell to her knees before her shoulders hunched and she vomited violently. Anything she had eaten the day before spewed onto the sand in noisy splashes.

Sitting with his back against the opposite wall of the cave's entrance, Sasuke watched dispassionately as Sakura completely emptied her stomach. The trademark black and red Akatsuki cloak lay open around him. Visible underneath it were nothing but a pair of navy slacks and the white bandaging wrapped around his ribs and stomach, which acted as a minimal armour. Resting loosely in his hand was the Akatsuki's trademark straw hat. His kusanagi sword lay quietly on his lap.

It was times like these Sakura was grateful she had her hair sheared short. She would hate to have to try and clean vomit out of it in the waterless desert. The pink locks she had preened so carefully years ago now came to an end just under her ears. The tips curled a little and tickled the back of her ear lobes.

"That'll be my cue to go inside and get some sleep," Sasuke said blandly, too familiar with the sight of Sakura getting sick for it to bother him. He got to his feet with a stretch and slid his sword into the holster on his back. Sakura made no reply and he entered the cave, sand shifting under his even steps.

Sakura's eyes were glazed over with exhaustion but she forced herself to breathe in the morning air of the desert with steady, even breaths. The sun hadn't risen yet, though hints of its coming could already be seen on the horizon. The combination of the cold sweat that had broken out on her face and neck and the cool, sweeping breezes was making her nearly unbearably chilled.

She had first woken up in such a way at the age of twelve, barely a week after she had been kidnapped. By age fifteen, you'd think she would have gotten used to being constantly poisoned.

Despite being a deadly master of poisons and antidotes herself, her mentor had a wealth of knowledge that was vastly older than hers. He made sure to prove it constantly.

Blocking out the persistent throb of pain in her belly, Sakura tiredly scooped sand over the mess and then dragged herself over to the spot where Sasuke had been sitting. She settled into the dent he'd left and shivered a little. It was chilly enough for goose bumps and she had at least another hour to shiver through until the sun showed his face.

Maybe she should think about trading in her skirt for something longer, she mused. Pulling her own cloak tightly around her, Sakura turned her eyes outwards, performing her duty as guard.

A hat flew out of the cave like a trussed up Frisbee, the white attachments flaring out against the pre-dawn sky. Sakura caught it without looking and slammed it onto her head.

Three years ago she may have naively taken that as an act of friendship from Sasuke or an act of affection from her mentor, depending on who had thrown the hat. But she knew now that, regardless of the thrower, it was a tiny admonishment: she should keep her tools and wits about her even when projectile vomiting at the break of dawn.

She fingered her ammo, the eight summoning scrolls attached to her hips in even lines of four. Finding some comfort in their presence, she settled herself in for her shift and tucked her chin into the cloak's high collar. She pressed her clammy hands to her burning stomach, wondering how long the pain would last this time.

* * *

Waves of heat vibrated in the air around them and the cerulean sky appeared to ripple. Sasuke spared it a brief glance and then tilted his head down again, dunking his eyes back under the shadow of his hat. The dangling curtain of white strips kept the blazing sunshine off the back of his neck and though he was sweating under the dark cloak, he knew better than to take it off. His pale skin would burn in minutes.

In front of him, the inhuman hunch of Sasori's Hiruko moved forward briskly in its odd walk, which seemed like a combination of crawling and slithering. In contrast, Orochimaru's form barely left footprints in the sand. A breeze blew through and the tiny bells on their straw hats all jingled in unison.

Sasuke caught a stumble out of the corner of his eye. Trudging parallel to him was Sakura, whose queasiness was slowing her down. Three years ago he would have asked if she was okay. But he knew now that Sasori never gave Sakura enough poison to kill her.

As her small, cloaked figure collapsed to the sand with a thump, Sasuke blinked. Or...maybe he'd been wrong.

The two men up front stopped at the sound and turned.

"Sasori-sama, I understand you're desire to test your poisons and your pupil simultaneously. But don't you think this is slowing our progress down _just a little_?" Orochimaru reproached in a wry tone.

His long fingers played over the brim of his hat while his coy, yellow eyes peered out from the shade to watch Sasuke approach Sakura's prone body.

The younger Uchiha placed a hand on her shoulder and turned her over, her hat loosening its hold on her head. Her pink hair made a sharp contrast to the desert's gold and there was a layer of sand covering her cheek. She was breathing, though.

"Bring her here, Uchiha," Sasori commanded gruffly.

Sasuke put an arm under her shoulders and an arm under her knees, and lifted her frame effortlessly. He laid her at the puppeteer's feet and the scorpion-like tail curled and uncurled with quiet wooden chinking. It finally fell still and then Hiruko's back cracked open unceremoniously. A head of red hair emerged and Sasori nimbly leapt to the sand.

"Hmm," he said, crouching at the unconscious kunoichi's side.

Orochimaru and Sasuke both caught the tone of voice for what it was. Sasori was pleased about something. They watched mutely as the Sand expatriate withdrew a small vial and syringe from the recesses of his coat (and/or body, Sasuke thought as he recalled the vast amount of compartments Sasori's handcrafted body held).

He attentively opened Sakura's cloak and pushed up her red shirt, baring her stomach to the vicious afternoon sun. Then carefully, Sasori injected the vial of clear liquid directly into his apprentice's stomach, a couple inches to the left of her bellybutton.

Sasuke idly wondered how strong this new poison would have to be. Sakura had lasted a night and half a day before needing treatment and this, judging from Sasori's reaction, was a good thing. As the redhead reinstalled himself in his gargantuan puppet, Sasuke pondered on exactly what had been the pleasing result of this experiment: the strength of Sakura's immune system, the strength of the poison, or both?

Sasuke would never know. Only later, out of earshot of himself and Orochimaru, would Sasori discuss with his apprentice the details of the new deadly concoction she had been a guinea pig for. Once upon a time, Sasuke knew Sakura would tell him every word if he asked. These days, he doubted it.

The scorpion tail twitched to life with Sasori's unseen puppet strings and it casually dove towards Sakura's form. It twisted around her with the intention of lifting her but Orochimaru said, "Wait."

Sasori paused in his vehicle/costume and he looked at Orochimaru, waiting for expansion on such a comment.

"Have Sasuke-kun carry her," Orochimaru said with a leer.

Sasori regarded him blankly for a moment and then lowered Sakura's limp body back onto the sand. He then turned and nonchalantly resumed travelling. Sasuke eyed the snake sannin, trying to disguise his annoyance. He received a wide smirk in return, and then Orochimaru also turned to continue on his way.

Sasuke glared after him and then bent down to heft Sakura onto his back in the least-romantic hold known to man. And Sakura, in her half-conscious state, realised a piggy-back from Sasuke was not going to be comfortable. The katana in its sheath, which was slung on the back of his hip, was digging into her thigh and he made no attempt to gentle his stride, so she was just short of being jostled off his back.

Still, it was better than trying to walk over the difficult sand dunes on legs that persisted in feeling like jelly.

Sasuke's agility was barely altered at all by the scrawny burden on his back. Constantly being sick and constantly travelling had robbed Sakura of any excess weight. She was nothing but bone and muscle, and even of muscle, she had slightly less than anticipated. She was trained with poisons and puppets, a fighting style that required more brains and chakra control than physical strength.

"He's hoping we end up fucking," a worn voice mumbled in his ear.

Sasuke snorted quietly. Near his face, Sakura's fingers twitched under her cloak's long sleeves. She took a deep breath and felt instinctively that her stomach was finally settling down.

"Wants more Uchiha bodies to someday leech," she continued, aversion underlying her tone.

"He probably just wants you to be receptive when he comes on to you in my body," Sasuke muttered.

A small sound of disgust came from near his shoulder.

"Are you going to let him?" She hissed with as much indignity as she could while keeping her voice low. "Are you really going to let him just...take your body from you? Kill you?"

"I'll do whatever it takes to get to my brother," he intoned, keeping his eyes straight ahead. "Together, we're stronger. Right now, Itachi's as accessible as he's ever going to be."

She clutched his shoulders and made sure to dig her nails in. Sasuke noted the returning strength indicative in her grip before he tensed at her next hissed statement.

"Weak."

He abruptly released his grip on her legs and she landed on her feet, stumbling backwards a step or two in the soft sand. Despite the impromptu moment of gracelessness, she stared him down defiantly, her green eyes sharp and accusing. He met her gaze with a blank apathy but the clenched fists betrayed his aggravation.

Her body had already recovered enough for a fight and so, empowered, she ploughed on in a low voice.

"You talk about strength, but letting someone else steal your body from you must be the _weakest_ thing you could possibly do. You're going to lose to your brother!"

He grabbed the throat of her cloak and yanked her close, cutting her off. She gripped his wrist with a hand and matched his glare.

"Don't talk about what you know nothing about, Sakura," he snarled quietly.

A crack sounded suddenly in very close proximity, followed by a pop of smoke. Sasuke released her and deftly hopped backwards before the wooden puppet sprung up between them, coming to a stand at eight feet. One of Sakura's eight scrolls was open and clutched loosely in her left hand. The fingers on her right hand twitched and the marionette's eight joisted arms cocked aggressively. At the end of each, a sharp-ended pincer expanded and pointed towards Sasuke.

This particular puppet's name was Suzumebachi and the kanji for 'wasp' was inked on its forehead in black. Sasuke knew it was one of Sakura's favourites, a reliable tool she had put her faith in over and over. As he watched its metallic nails unfold and glint in the sunlight, he mused on the intricate chakra control the kunoichi devoted to each of her eight puppets. Every detail of those puppets was intricately crafted and particularly deadly.

They looked at each other with steel gazes, Suzumebachi casting a shadow on its summoner. Sasuke's hand drifted to the hilt of his katana, a glimmer in his eyes. A cloud passed overhead, swallowing them in its huge shadow. Sakura smirked.

She flicked her fingers.

* * *

Sasori and Orochimaru only stopped after another three minutes or so of walking. A hot breeze blew the long dark hair out of Orochimaru's eyes and he turned to gaze behind them.

Hidden inside Hiruko, Sasori scowled at the further delay. A growl of impatience escaped him as Orochimaru squinted in the sunlight, taking in the panorama of the battle.

Flashes of light appeared and vanished as Sasuke's sword swung. Two of Suzumebachi's arms had been mutilated thoroughly but Sasuke was now moving and evading in a sluggish manner. Sakura had obviously landed a shot with one of the poison-stained blades that spun out of the tall marionette's crevices.

Sakura's breathing was laboured but she nonetheless cocked her elbow and splayed her hands, preparing for her next onslaught. Sasuke blinked and his eyes morphed crimson. Poised for defence, he observed the web of blue chakra strings stretched tautly from the puppet's many joints to Sakura's fingertips.

Had he been an aesthete, or a civilian even, he would have soaked in the sight with rapture. But he was a shinobi, and so his sharp eyes focused only on waiting for the tiniest wiggle of the pink-haired girl's digits.

A slight twist of the wrist and the Sharingan had predicted Suzumebachi's next two attacks. Putting to use his striking agility, he streamlined in a zigzag, deflecting a barrage of poisoned needles by pinwheeling his katana and then leaping over the whipping spike-infested chains as though they were a jump rope.

Sakura gasped as she found a sun-warmed blade suddenly arching towards her head. She thrust up her hands in a basic protection stance and then there was an ominous thunk of metal meeting wood.

Sasuke couldn't say he was surprised to see his katana lodged in the hard tip of Hiruko's tail. He had been wondering when one of their mentors would interfere. He made to yank it out but his vision abruptly doubled. He shut down the Sharingan and Sasori swept the scorpion tail forward, knocking the Uchiha off-balance. He fell unsteadily into a sitting position, sweaty hand still gripping his sword. Disregarding the dizziness for a second, he unstuck his weapon.

His vision doubled again and he inwardly cursed the shallow cut that was barely even bleeding on the back of his calf. What the hell had she infected him with?

"Perhaps, Sasori-sama," Orochimaru said in a voice that slithered through the desert like a snake. "We should separate for a short time."

"Hmm..." Sasori growled in neither an affirmative or negative, glancing behind him at the angrily flushed kunoichi.

"Sasuke and I will go to Tanzaku City," Orochimaru continued. "I have an old friend there. She can heal my apprentice seeing as _your_ apprentice doesn't seem to be too willing to offer an antidote at this time."

Sakura scowled at the sand and muttered, "It's not like he'll die from it."

Sasori pinned a hard gaze on Orochimaru. "Tanzaku City," he repeated stonily.

The snake sannin's return stare was pure ice. But all he said was, "We'll meet in Suna in a week to capture the One-Tail."

Sasuke stood, albeit a little shakily. The poison seemed to have corkscrewed his depth perception; he wouldn't be able to trust his eyesight for the next day's travelling. But he'd have to have both legs wrenched off before he'd let Orochimaru help him on his way. He moved forward, sensing the ground. After ten steps, his gait had nearly returned to standard despite his warped sight.

As his apprentice marched onwards through the sand, Orochimaru scrutinized Sakura with his snake-like eyes for a minute. She met his searching gaze as steadily as she could, resisting the urge to cover herself or hide. He was making her feel naked. Finally, he turned and was on par with Sasuke in seconds.

Sakura swallowed slowly, now positive that she had been right. The sannin saw her as the perfect candidate to carry Uchiha children. Why exactly, she wasn't sure-she was on the verge of being malnourished. As she stood now, her body was in no way capable of sustaining a child. It was probably just because she was _there_, she thought with disdain.

She was also sure Sasuke had had a point. It wouldn't matter to Orochimaru if it were Sasuke or himself in Sasuke's body that impregnated her, as long as a new supply of Sharingan users was produced. Disgust crawled up her spine and she rolled her shoulders.

"Tanzaku City. Fool," Sasori grumbled in Hiruko's gravelly voice, watching the already distant figure of his partner.

"Tanzaku City...isn't that a tourist town near Hidden Village of Rock?"

"It's in between Earth Country and Wind."

"Weren't Naruto and Itach-"

"Do you ever stop talking?

Sakura closed her mouth, an embarrassed blush spreading over her face.

"Collect Suzumebachi. We'll go on ahead to Sunagakure. You'll have time to repair him there."

"Yes, Sasori-sama."

The idle marionette vanished back into its scroll with a puff of smoke and she went to retrieve several damaged parts lying in the sand. She hurried, mindful of the elder Akatsuki member's dislike of waiting.

"Sakura," he suddenly said. "You fought well."

She got the feeling he meant not only against Sasuke, but Orochimaru's intentions. She positively beamed and turned soft, happy eyes on her mentor. But he was already walking forwards into the wide desert.


	3. Ch 2 Boredom and How to Alleviate It

**Akatsuki's Brats**

Ch 2. Boredom and How to Alleviate It

* * *

_Author_: Ms Trick

_Notes_: I thrive on reviews. I really appreciate feedback on my stories. Like you have no idea.

* * *

As far as Naruto was concerned, Tanzaku City was the absolute least interesting place he'd ever visited.

It had been boring when they'd arrived that afternoon and the blue welcome gate had first loomed above them. Their entire squad of four had dressed as civilians before approaching the city, a small detail Naruto was glad for. Instead of the grim Akatsuki cloak and the hat he just couldn't keep track of most of the time, he got to be out in public in a simple combination of orange pants and a black t-shirt.

It had been boring when they were checking into the inn, too. They found a second-class but clean inn with a small onsen attached to the back and a pachinko parlour on either side. Naruto was sure the noise of casino machines and hoots of greedy joy would keep him up all night. At least the four of them had taken separate rooms, he thought absently, his mind on the small amount of privacy that would provide him. Unfortunately, the window of _his_ room was directly above the larger of the pachinko parlours.

However, more urgent than how interesting it had been while they were arriving, was the fact that Tanzaku City was boring _now_. It was early evening and the street was swarming with tourists, much like the warm air was filling with moths. Naruto stifled a yawn as he stared down at the flow of people from his vantage point next to the window in Itachi's room.

"Kisame and I will hit some of the bars on the main streets surrounding the largest of the castles, which is in the centre of town," Itachi droned.

He sat cross-legged on the tatami mats, dressed in unremarkable black clothing that Naruto thought was a little too depressing for the atmosphere of a tourist spot. But if Itachi thought it was appropriate civilian wear, what could Naruto say?

"Naruto," Itachi said sternly, recapturing his apprentice's wandering attention. "You and--"

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto interrupted jejunely. "Same plan as always, blah blah blah. Find the jinchuuriki even though there's no reason to believe either of them is anywhere near here. This isn't even a ninja village. It's a frickin TOURIST TRAP!"

"Naruto," Itachi intoned in warning.

With a roll of the eyes, Naruto crossed his arms and huffed irritably.

Once upon a time, Naruto had been terrified of Itachi. But over three years, the fear had dwindled. Naruto knew, of course, that should the Leader want to dissolve the apprentices programme, Itachi would kill him without any regret and carry on. But he also knew that he couldn't spend every day quivering in fear just because Itachi didn't form bonds with people.

A great deal of that fear was also replaced by hate.

Naruto had never truly hated anyone before he met the elder Uchiha face to face. As a child he had once hated the villagers of Konoha for rejecting him seemingly without reason, but that was the angry hate of a frightened child and it had dissipated. The hate Naruto had for Itachi was so deep, he didn't even realise it was there sometimes.

What Naruto didn't know was that Itachi wasn't nearly as harsh to him as Kisame knew he could be. Though Itachi was still a brutal teacher and had even employed trauma to a certain degree, he could always have been much worse. Kisame marvelled that Naruto had no idea at the effect he constantly had on people. Some individuals try their whole lives to change others and never succeed. And in the last three years, just by being himself, Naruto had affected Itachi's demeanour more than Kisame had in the four years they had been partners.

"We're staying here for a few days to try and glean information about the jinchuuriki, not necessarily find them," Itachi explained with an undertone of impatience that let Naruto know to expect something painful if he kept being stupid.

Naruto just returned his gaze to the window and Itachi resisted the urge to clench his fists.

Kisame exhaled loudly from his seat on the tatami mats. "Complain, complain...why do we need apprentices again?"

"You're training the next generation of Akatsuki because immortality is a goal not a guarantee," drawled Kisame's apprentice, a smirking boy from the Hidden Village of Mist.

As a light reprimand, Kisame knocked the back of the boy's head. But instead of the thump of flesh hitting flesh, there was a wet splash as the boy's head suddenly morphed into clear water.

"Shut up, Suigetsu."

"You got the tatami all wet!"

"Shut up, Naruto."

* * *

The early night lay like a sheet over the streets and castles of the tourist city.

With one hand tucked casually behind his head, Naruto wandered down the street taking occasional slurps of his drink. At his side, Suigetsu appeared equally nonchalant, except his drink was more like a bucket of water with a straw.

There were some noises indicating said bucket was now empty and that Suigetsu's straw was only sucking up air and the occasional leftover drop of liquid. Naruto glanced at him out of the corner of his eye as Suigetsu lowered the container with annoyance. His gaze landed on the gargantuan flat weapon fixed to Suigetsu's back.

"You probably should have left the monster sword at the inn," Naruto commented offhandedly.

"What? No way."

"You make a horrible civilian."

"No shit. How many civilians do you see with blue skin and pointed teeth?" Suigetsu retorted with a grin that showed off his shark-like incisors.

"Does Kisame count?" Naruto asked with a laugh.

"No, dumbass. We don't need to necessarily convince them we're not ninja. We're _obviously_ ninja, but we're dressing like civilians to let non-ninja know we're playing cool and aren't a threat."

"Uh, so why did you bring your sword? Aren't swords somewhat, y'know,_threatening_?"

"It's my baby," Suigetsu replied, tossing the empty drink into a trashcan.

Glancing back at the other teen, he thought for a second that Naruto was staring at him. But then he realised Naruto's gaze was lingering again on his sword and that his mind was probably lost in his memories on an all-too familiar bridge.

A smirk stole over Suigetsu's face.

"I didn't know you had had a crush on Zabuza-senpai," he said in a mock surprise.

As anticipated, Naruto jolted out of his reverie and immediately leapt to respond to the indignity.

"I wasn't thinking about Zabuza!"

"Oh?" Suigetsu taunted. "You were staring at my sword like it was an old Valentines' Day present. Again."

"I was not!" Naruto denied hotly. "I was just thinking about Sasuke."

"Oh, so it's _Sasuke_ you have a crush on," Suigetsu jeered and immediately after, sidestepped the fist flying towards his face.

"Don't say things like that!"

Suigetsu laughed heartily at how easy it was to rile Naruto up. Any mention of Sasuke would set him off like a rocket with a lit tail. He took in the blond teen's flushed face and twitchy stance.

"Chill, chill, I was just joking," he said in an acquiescing tone that lost some of its sincerity due to the smirk that wouldn't leave his face. "Aren't you tired? Let's take a break."

Naruto huffed through his nose, his face still uncomfortably hot. He _knew_ Suigetsu was just teasing him--the ex-Mist nin had had years to memorize which buttons to press to spark Naruto's temper--but he still couldn't help the immature defence he instinctively resorted to. He'd never been good at simply walking away from a fight.

The grey, many-tiered castle loomed up from the centre of town lugubriously. High, stone boundaries separated the castle grounds from the streets, lining the sidewalks while their ugly roofing cast ridged shadows onto the paths below. This was one of the smaller roads on the far side of the castle's entrance. Most of the streetlights were dully lit or flickering. One or two were outright dead but the citizens out on this street at this time of night weren't the type to notice.

Suigetsu looked up and down the parade of bars, hoping for a bench to sit on. He wondered if the brothel perched on the street corner would be highly offended if he went in and just asked to relax in their foyer for a few minutes. His thoughts were interrupted by a man being thrown out of one of the bars with an alarming amount of force.

He landed with an ominous crunch on the sidewalk merely a few feet in front of Suigetsu and Naruto. He grunted in pain and slowly rolled into his side.

"That could have gone better..." he muttered to himself. Then catching sight of the bemused pair in front of him, added, "What are you looking at?"

Suigetsu raised his hands in surrender but couldn't chase the smile off his face. Naruto shrugged and Suigetsu's words about ninja's attempts to blend in came back to him.

He took in the man's peculiar red facial markings, the large summoning scroll slung around his torso, and the thick silver forehead protector. This guy was definitely a ninja and if his age was any indication, he had to be pretty good one; no ninja reached the age of what Naruto guessed was around fifty without having some damn good tricks up his or her sleeve.

So he was a skilled ninja. And he didn't look or sound drunk. What the hell was he doing getting hurled out of a bar with _that_ much force? Naruto frowned at the puzzle.

The white-haired shinobi caught his confused gaze and stared back for a minute, as though the sight of Naruto reminded him of someone else. Then with a bone-deep sigh, he shook his head and pulled himself to his feet. He'd barely gotten steady on his geta before a blonde with huge knockers flung aside the bar's curtained entrance and stomped out.

Naruto's honed senses immediately alerted him to the soft pull of genjutsu, but it was a low enough pull that it couldn't possibly be a threat, and so he dismissed it without thinking.

The woman threw a punch at the white-haired ninja but he had the wits about him to duck this time.

Suigetsu's eyebrows had shot up when he saw her and Naruto figured he now understood why a sober, skilled ninja had gotten his ass thrown out of a bar: he had to be a pervert. And he had to be a pretty big one to have a blonde babe like that throwing punches at his head.

"Knock it off, Tsunade!" The man snapped angrily. "You don't want to accidentally draw blood."

The blonde woman abruptly aborted her attacks and nearly tripped over her feet. She wobbled on her black, heeled shoes and her highly flushed cheeks indicated that she was probably very drunk.

"That was low," she said, punctuating her sentence with a hiccup.

"Yeah, well, your punches hurt," he retorted, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Tsunade-sama!" Cried a young, dark-haired woman in distress as she tumbled forth from the bar.

Naruto blinked in surprise at the sight of a trussed-up pig chasing after her. On four clean little hooves, it stood like a fat lady in dainty high heels at its mistresses' feet.

"Reckoning they're fattening it up to eat it?" Suigetsu whispered with a snicker.

"I wouldn't eat anything I'd put a necklace and clothes on," Naruto mumbled back.

The white-haired shinobi rolled his shoulders and stretched his arms over his head until his back cracked.

"I'll give you a week to think on it," he said out of the blue, turning away from the bar's entrance and stepping onto the street.

"Damnit Jiraiya, I'm not becoming Godaime!" Tsunade snapped, her eyes flashing despite her inebriation.

The strange pair had Naruto's undivided attention now. His blue eyes locked onto them and his stomach dropped in an ugly nostalgia for his ragamuffin childhood. How many times had he screamed he would be Hokage? A wave of longing rinsed through him but he steadfastly refrained from wishing he were back in Konoha, even inside his own head.

"One week," Jiraiya called over his shoulder as he ambled off down the road with a knowing smile on his face, his geta clicking on the pavement.

"Are you listening?!" She screamed at his retreating back as she lunged out into the street.

Naruto thought for a second that she was going to run after the man, Jiraiya, and continue beating him to a pulp but she stumbled to a stop after a few feet.

"I'm not doing it! Who the hell would want to be Hokage? It's a fool's title! If Sandaime could just die of old age then it probably wasn't much of a thrilling life anyway!"

"Don't talk about the Sandaime like that!" Naruto blurted out, surprising even himself. He resisted the urge to slap his hand over his mouth in embarrassment.

With Jiraiya having just turned a corner, Tsunade fixed her attention on the source of the loud interruption. She squinted at him but Naruto didn't look away. Suigetsu gave Naruto a suffering look and muttered, "Frickin' Leaf nin," under his breath.

"Who the hell are you, kid?" She grumbled.

"My name isn't kid. It's Uzumaki Naruto!" He yelled in a voice that implied he'd had to yell his name his entire life or risk no one ever hearing it.

Tsunade felt the warm night air freeze in her lungs and she jerked in surprise so hard that she nearly toppled over. Her hazel eyes fell on the scruffy teenager with new, incredulous recognition. This was the Yondaime's _son_. This was the kid with Kyuubi sealed inside him.

She scrutinized him thoroughly. The resemblance to his father was uncanny and the whisker marks were undeniable. From the way he was carrying himself and the tone of his muscles, he had to be a ninja. There was, however, the distinct absence of a forehead protector--did the kid not belong to the village anymore? She supposed it was plausible. He was hanging out with what appeared to be a guy from the Hidden Village of Mist.

"Uzumaki...you're lying," Shizune whispered, half to herself.

"Huh? Why would I be lying?"

"You're from Konoha then," Tsunade inquired.

Immediately, Naruto's eyes darkened and so, consequently, did his mood.

"Well, I was," he stated in a stony voice that completely juxtaposed the fiery enthusiasm he had been wielding before.

Still very drunk, Tsunade tried to keep her mouth from drooping open as she assessed the blond teenager, teetering on her feet all the while.

The village probably drove the poor child out, she messily concluded. Maybe not literally, but she doubted that Konoha would generously provide a loving atmosphere for the orphan who was acting as a holding cell for their demonic destroyer. She sardonically wondered how proud the village would be of itself if they knew they'd morphed their beloved hero's only son into a missing nin.

"Hmph," she mocked. "Well, _Uzumaki Naruto_, if you're not from Konoha, what does it matter about Sandaime or Godaime?"

"Ugh, can we not get into this?" Suigetsu moaned.

Fixed on Tsunade, Naruto's gaze turned sharp. "It's...an important position. And if it's being offered to you--not that I can see_why_--then you should accept it with honour," he gritted out.

"Hah, even though I look like this, I was one of the sannin," Tsunade said with a raucous laugh, as though mocking her own embellishment.

"The sannin?" Suigetsu repeated disbelievingly. "That'd make you what, like over fifty? Lady, you don't look fifty."

"It's genjutsu," Naruto supplied offhandedly, now realizing where the soft pull he'd noted earlier was coming from. "She's probably an old hag underneath."

An ugly look crossed Tsunade's flushed face but then a meaner glint came into her eyes. "Heh, and I suppose the Third was in the springtime of his youth. Even the Fourth died young," she threw out, wanting to see his reaction.

His fists were clenching so hard he was shaking slightly but there wasn't a specific burst of anger at the mention of the Yondaime. Tsunade knew then that no one had ever told the kid who his parents were.

"The title of Hokage is a piece of crap, mark my words, kid," she drawled with a mild slur. "Only an idiot becomes one."

Suigetsu had often made fun of Naruto's fantasies of being Hokage. As such, he knew exactly when Naruto would spring at the woman and fisted the back of his shirt just as the blond made to leap. He let his arm fill with water, expanding and reinforcing the muscle, so as to keep still the teen that was snarling like a dog.

Shizune frowned in concern at her mentor. It wasn't like her to push this far.

"Anyone who makes fun of the old man or the Fourth deserves a punch in the face! I don't care if you are a girl! _Or_ an old lady!" Naruto yelled, straining towards her against Suigetsu's hold.

Tsunade stared in silence for a second and then cracked a smirk.

"You've got guts to say that to me," she said, eyebrow raised. "Step outside, kid."

"We are outside, Tsunade-sama," Shizune whispered, her dark eyes still anxious.

Heaving a sigh, Suigetsu half-dragged Naruto into the street and set him standing upright before letting go of the back of his black shirt.

"Can we get this over with so I can go home?" He grumbled, licking his lips in a way that implied he was thirsty again.

Naruto didn't respond. He concentrated on his opponent, who had stopped swaying on her feet but couldn't expel the rosiness splashed across her face.

"There's no reason for me to get serious with a brat runaway," she jeered, hands on her hips as she stared him down.

"What did you say?" Naruto snarled.

He blinked when she suddenly stuck out one finger. Was she going to count down?

"One finger," she said clearly. "One finger will do against you. Come on then, little boy."

"Don't play with me!" Naruto yelled, charging towards her in a rage.

He forgot about creating any clones or implementing any genjutsu and could only imagine how sweet it would be to land a punch on her pretty face.

Suigetsu rolled his eyes, wondering how Naruto managed to get himself into these things time and time again.

Tsunade's movement was a blur and then Naruto felt the sharp fwap of her fingernail flicking his bare forehead. Time seemed to slow for a second and then speed back up abruptly as he was sent skidding backwards past Suigetsu and halfway up the street. He resisted the urge to groan while he waited for his head to stop vibrating.

_A finger flick?_ He thought incredulously as he hauled himself to his feet. _Just who is this woman?_

"Oi, brat!" She called to him. "Let me ask you one thing before you pass out. Why do you care so much about the title of Hokage?"

"It's my dream," he managed to state defiantly even as his vision continued un-doubling itself.

"It _was_ your dream," Suigetsu corrected in a mutter no one heard.

Shizune's eyes widened and she glanced over at Tsunade, who seemed to have halted any and all motion. Even breathing. A drunken despair suddenly latched onto her as the words of Dan and her brother echoed inside her head.

_She's vulnerable_, Naruto suddenly realised and his hands instinctively and smoothly flew through seals he could do in his sleep.

A pair of shadow clones was conjured into existence as he charged towards her again, his hands already working their way through a second series of seals.

Tsunade looked up gloomily and was just in time to hop backwards out of the way of Naruto's punch. As soon as the punch missed, Naruto vanished into thin air, much to the sannin's surprise. With a start, she realised a second volley of three attacks were aimed her way from three different directions. She dodged them all despite the alcohol slowing her down, and again, after each attack missed, the attacker would fall invisible.

It took only two more evasions for Tsunade to recognize the combination of genjutsu and kage bunshin, an oddly sophisticated attack for the Nine Tails kid, judging by what she'd deduced about his demeanor. Mixing some luck and an educated guess on the timing, she brought down her hand with intense force and slammed her index finger into the pavement. The road immediately shuddered and wide cracks appeared like ripples in a lake.

The clones that had just revealed themselves immediately burst into smoke as the crumbling asphalt toppled them, and Naruto himself fell backwards rather ungracefully. He landed in the miniature chasm, flailing his arms out in an indication that he was very stuck.

Tsunade snorted in amusement and Shizune hurried to the boy's side.

"You don't seem like the genjutsu type, kid," the sannin commented offhandedly as her apprentice hauled Naruto out of the crevice by his elbow.

"I have a tough teacher," Naruto supplied in a disgruntled voice, waving away Shizune's fussing and pulling himself to his feet. "That's all he crams into my head half the time: genjutsu, genjutsu and just when I think I'm done, genjutsu!"

Naruto huffed indignantly but a moment later, his eyes fixed on Tsunade with a sparkle.

"Hey, hey, teach me that! I want to learn that instead!"

"Hmm? What?" Tsunade asked with a frown.

"That superstrength!"

"Hah. A brat like you wouldn't be able to focus the chakra," she said, turning her nose away dismissively.

"I'll master it in three days!" Naruto declared, slapping a hand to his chest in enthusiasm.

Suigetsu resisted the urge to sink his face into his hands, wondering if he shouldn't have seen something like this coming.

"You've said it now, kid!" Tsunade crowed. "A man never goes back on his words."

"I'm not going to take back my words! That's my way of ninja!"

A stubborn glare topped off this hot-headed statement and Tsunade found herself smirking in a way Shizune didn't like.

"Then let's make a bet," the blonde woman said.

"A bet?"

"I'll give you one week. If you can master my enhanced strength within that time, I'll acknowledge that your dream of becoming Hokage is valid."

"...uh, yeah! I guess that's fine," Naruto spluttered.

"Okay, but if you can't master the move in a week, you lose. And I'll take all your money."

"Uh? Sure," Naruto agreed, wondering if he looked like he was rich or something.

"Tsunade-sama, why?" Shizune hissed anxiously.

"He can't do it anyway," Tsunade offered.

Before Naruto could leap to his defence, she announced, "Alright kid, meet me here tomorrow at noon. We'll see what you can do."

* * *

Naruto had been hoping to avoid an interrogation from Itachi that night, so he breathed a sigh of relief when he and Suigetsu found the rooms of their senpai still empty upon their return at midnight. Closing the door to his own room, Naruto bypassed the light switch and kicked off his shoes in the dark. As he stripped, he winced at the pounding in his head. He dragged his bare feet over the warm tatami on the way to futon, carelessly dropping his t-shirt and pants as he did so.

Down to his boxers, he crawled into the soft folds of the bed with relish and folded his hands behind his head on the pillow. He stared at the ceiling, his thoughts revisiting Konoha for the first time in months.

He had gone nearly three years without seeing another Konoha shinobi aside from the ones abducted alongside him. And suddenly in one night, in the middle of the least likely place to find ninja, he had met the woman enlisted to become the next Hokage. Naruto had suddenly come face to face with the dream that he had slowly been releasing his grip on for the last year or so, as his status as a missing nin was ground into him more and more.

Naruto closed his eyes resolutely and tried to force himself to fall sleep quicker. He didn't need to entrench himself in the past. Never one to resist slumber, he felt himself begin to drift off.

_She said the Sandaime had died. And of old age_, he remembered, a small smile creeping over his face as memories of the grandfatherly figure swept over him like sunshine. _At least the old man had the luxury of dying peacefully. Good to know the world sometimes _is_ good to good people._

And then he was asleep.

* * *

By the time dawn broke into the sky the next day, Sasori and Sakura had already resumed their journey over the desert's rolling terrain. As the entire landscape's colours began to melt from the white sands of night to the golden sands of the day, Sakura looked out over the scene with fresh, clear eyes from under the brim of her hat. Her stomach was calm, her limbs were steady, and she felt much more herself than she had yesterday. She breathed in the morning air with satisfaction and a smile came unbidden to her lips.

Sasori spared her a glance, his mind pouring over the details of her brief scuffle with Sasuke the day before. She had used Suzumebachi again.

It hadn't slipped by Sasori's notice that Sakura's favourite marionette was her hand-crafted one. Time and time again, he had seen her resort primarily to Suzumebachi before any other. She had eight puppets total; Sasori had overseen and directed the construction of almost all of them. Yet he had had the least input with Suzumebachi, one of her only two completely wooden puppets. The other was a little wooden machine that resembled a squat pig and was used purely for defence.

The other six of Sakura's scrolls contained human puppets. Sasori had painstakingly trained the pink-haired girl in the art of their creation and he recalled how utterly aghast she had been at the beginning of her apprenticeship. But she had learned to suppress any revulsion, she had learned to transform cadavers into specialized weapons, and she had grown skilled in Sasori's craftsmanship. He hadn't given her a choice in the matter.

He found it somewhat amusing that Sakura probably thought she was clinging to her morals by opting to use Suzumebachi rather than one of her six human puppets. How moral could she consider herself, he wondered wryly, when she had assisted in killing them, alchemically reconstructed their corpses, and wore them on her hip with pride? A small, mean smirk stole over Sasori's face, hidden within Hiruko.

They walked in their usual silence. Sakura listened to the crunch of their movements on the sand and while daydreaming, she found herself thinking about Ino. Even though their friendship had been bitter at the time of Sakura's abduction, she wondered if the blonde girl ever missed her.

But then the Hidden Village of Sand rose up on the horizon and any daydreams of her old friend evaporated to be replaced with thoughts of the opportunity to mend her puppet and with anticipation of the mission that lay ahead of them.

* * *

The inn they were staying at was fairly large for its type. Not only was it equipped with a spacious onsen and steam room in the back, but their dining room could seat several families.

When Naruto finally emerged with a yawn into this dining room, he found that the rest of his squad was already sitting at a table. This was not new as Naruto had always been the heaviest sleeper out of all of them. Itachi spared him a glance, his knees folded under him as he worked his way slowly through breakfast. Naruto thought of how strange everyone in his makeshift family unit looked devoid of their imposing cloaks. It was kind of like seeing them in their underwear.

Naruto made his way over to them and took a seat in the only available spot, which was unfortunately next to Itachi. There was a breakfast tray set out for him that was slowly going cold.

"Now you two can make your report," Kisame commanded, indicating the two apprentices.

"Well, we met a bitter old drunk woman with monster super strength," Suigetsu said between bites.

Naruto grunted in confirmation and began to pick at the meal in front of him.

"I don't suppose she had a blue diamond in the centre of her forehead," Itachi inquired.

"Yeah, she did. She said her name was Tsunade, one of the legendary sannin or some junk like that," Naruto said, purposefully being obnoxious.

"The sannin are three very powerful shinobi, Naruto. They're not people to be dismissed lightly," Itachi rebuked. "Will you be in contact with her again?"

"Yeah..." Naruto mumbled. "I got her to give me super strength lessons."

"Excellent," Itachi commended, though his voice still sustained its usual bored quality. "She could be a valuable source of information about the Kyuubi's vessel. Though she wasn't in Konoha, she was alive at the time of the sealing. See how much you can get her to talk about the jinchuuriki's location and while you're at it, try to identify some of her weaknesses. We may need to persuade her in a more forceful manner should she steadfastly refuse to cooperate."

Uncomfortable with Itachi's casual discussion of gruesome torture and even more uncomfortable at the praise he'd received, Naruto snatched a bread roll out of a basket in the centre of the table and stood.

"I gotta go," he called as he jogged towards the door. "I promised her we'd meet at ten o'clock."

He didn't look back as he pulled on his shoes and made his exit, hoping Suigetsu wouldn't have a reason to expose his small lie. The former Mist-nin could usually be trusted on such accounts but Suigetsu looked out for himself first and foremost. Naruto knew the value of loyalty in the other shinobi's eyes could often be outweighed if the price was right.

Once outside in the warm sunshine and away from the gloomy atmosphere Itachi always managed to cast over him, Naruto felt a bit better. He breathed a sigh of relief, took a bite out of the roll and wandered out into the street, which was already full of tourists and loud shopkeepers.

Relishing this rare time alone, he meandered through the town's square, down some side streets, around the castles, and past rows of shops and pachinko parlours and inns. He watched children full of vim and anticipation scramble after their parents, his eyes softening at the sight.

Two hours later, the sun was shining merrily and he found himself relaxing in the shade near the bar decided upon last night. Being one of the streets more dedicated to night entertainment, it was nearly abandoned at this time of the day. He vaguely wondered if that Tsunade woman was the type who would break her promise.

But then she appeared around the corner and strode toward him, her fluttery apprentice and pampered pig behind her. He emerged into the bright sunlight and went to meet her halfway.

She took in his appearance, the sun illuminating his golden hair and the blue eyes glittering eagerly. Shaking off the memories of another boy she knew, she put her hands on her hips and sighed exasperatedly.

"Alright, kid, come on," she said before continuing down the street.

"My name isn't kid!" Naruto snapped, walking alongside her.

"Right, right..."

At the corner, they were met with a busy river of people to wade through. Tsunade didn't pause and kept striding down the sidewalk.

"Where are we going?" Naruto asked after hastily dodging a family of four.

"The park near Taisetsu Castle. It won't be as crowded as the other parks and there will be an abundance of rocks and trees for you to practice on. Of course, you'll have to learn how to properly focus your chakra first," the sannin provided while they crossed the street.

"I can focus my chakra _fine_," Naruto insisted, squeezing between a pair of lovers who didn't look too pleased at him ploughing through their happy bubble.

"You don't seem like the type who'd spend time focusing chakra," Tsunade murmured.

"Well, I_am_. I wasn't exactly given a ch--sorry!" Naruto yelped at a pedestrian he'd collided with. "--a choice. I've got a twisted psychopath as a sensei and like I said, he crams genjutsu techniques into my head."

As they turned another corner, the little castle's imposing three-tiered black roofs lurched into sight. Gathered around its base was the park, which was mostly hidden by the tall stone wall encircling the entire compound save for the topmost branches of several trees. The gated entrance shone a lacquered black at the end of the street.

"So I know all the genjutsu know-how," Naruto went on loudly, trying not to fall behind in a sudden swarm of schoolchildren. "Because my training's really tough. So I can definitely take whatever you have to throw at me!"

"That so?" Tsunade asked in a disinterested voice that made Naruto bristle. "Who's your sensei?"

"You wouldn't know him," he replied easily.

Shizune frowned even as she continued to follow at a brisk pace. They finally reached the park's gates, which had been flung wide open for tourists, and Tsunade marched through them with her entourage. As a sharp juxtaposition to the hot and busy streets, the secluded park was lined with trees of various sized, all a vivid summer green and throwing cooling pools of shade across the path.

Naruto sighed in relief and breathed in the quiet surroundings. There were a lot less people for him to collide with here, so he allowed himself the luxury of looking about as they walked. Unfortunately, he collided with Shizune when she abruptly stopped.

She gave him a vexed look, which he returned, before transferring his attention to the blonde woman with her hands on her hips and a curious smile on her face.

"One question before we start," she said, tapping her manicured nails on her hip. "Why do you care so much about being Hokage anyway?"

Naruto took his time answering, letting his eyes trail over their surroundings as he hesitated. They were in the heart of a copse of jungle green trees and flowery shrubs on one of the more-secluded paths. Scattered around them were several artfully-placed boulders and shrine statues.

He had never been asked this question honestly before. As a child his dream had never been taken seriously (except maybe for his much-missed Iruka-sensei) and by the platoon he was a part of now, dreams were all but worthless.

"Um...I'm, uh, an orphan so, y'know, I always wanted a family when I was a kid. Families were full of people you loved and wanted to protect. And now it's like, I've got one but it's the worst kind, the kind that doesn't care if someone dies. And the only time I feel like I really have a family is when I get to see my best friend, and that doesn't happen so often. We've only seen each other five times since we were kidna--well, um, in the last three years. But even before...I thought being Hokage would be like having the whole village for a family, a whole village of people you loved and wanted to protect."

As he finished talking, a keen embarrassment stole over Naruto and he quickly fixed his gaze on the ground.

"Kidnapped?" Tsunade asked with a puzzled frown

Relief swept over him as he discovered she wasn't going to degrade his confession in any way. Then a tick of annoyance popped up when he realised she had picked up on his slip of the tongue.

"Long boring story," was all he replied, well-versed in keeping his connections hidden.

"I'm sure it's far from boring."

"Yeah, well, I don't see you sharing your past."

"Fair enough. Punch this rock," she said without preamble.

Naruto looked up just in time to see her flick her wrist and launch a boulder at him. Wide-eyed and yelping, he found himself knocked off his feet and the massive stone crashed down onto his middle.

"OWWWW! THAT HURT!!"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow and sighed.

"This is going to be a painful week."

* * *

_Author's Note_:

Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed: **yumemi**, **lonelylulaby**,**pAge-bReaTher**, **Fairy Blue**, **THE GOD OF INTERESTING**,**Midnight Unicorn**, **sinners**, **FREAKSHOW1**,**quailtail69**, **n0nXistence**, **khearu**, **Runespoor**,**KitsuneyJenfner**, **Deserter**, and **gallatica7**!

**CherryShadowZ** – Questions, questions, questions...gotta keep reading. ;) Thanks so much for that long review!

Your encouragement really does mean a great deal to me. And as for all those questions, you'll have to wait and see!

-Ms Trick


	4. Ch 3 The 5 Times

**Akatsuki's Brats**

Ch 3 - The 5 Times Naruto and Sasuke Have Met Since Being Kidnapped

* * *

_Author_: Ms Trick

_Notes_: I thrive on reviews. I really appreciate feedback on my stories. You have no idea.

* * *

**1 Week after the Kidnapping**

The leader of Akatsuki had decided upon Wave Country for the gathering.

Every deadly member of the group now had a prepubescent apprentice on an emotional, a psychological, or in some cases a physical leash and for a meeting of eighteen shinobi with chakra levels like theirs, the location had to be chosen carefully. It was like trying to conceal a collection of suns. Fortunately, the foggy weather, social unrest, and corrupt local governments of Wave Country provided an ample cover.

Regardless, they all knew it wouldn't do to linger in the damp temple they were now gathered in. On a clear day, the crevices of the old place of worship would be visited by tourists and the devout. But today, sheets of rain came down fiercely on the cracked roof. Water dripped relentlessly down the stone walls while the columns holding up the smooth ceiling glistened wetly in the lantern light.

The nine apprentices had been herded to the temple's back wall and were now clustered around the cold gray altar. A lantern with broken glass windows sat rusting in the center of it and judging from the grimy ribbons attached to its base, it must have been a festive presentation at one point. A meek candle had been lit and placed inside the little chamber but its minuscule flame had already been replaced by smoke.

Naruto stood with his bare arms folded, quashing the urge to complain about the goosebumps covering his torso. His jacket had been confiscated and destroyed not long after abduction, much to his disgruntlement. Akatsuki apparently didn't approve of the colour orange.

Sasuke stood at his side, his eyes fixed on the group of powerful shinobi standing in front of them and burning a hole into the back of his brother's head, though Naruto knew he wouldn't attack Itachi while they were surrounded by the entire Akatsuki. The younger Uchiha was obsessed with avenging the death of his clan but he wasn't stupid enough to singlehandedly take on a gang of international criminals known for their ruthless murders and gruesome assassinations.

Not to mention Itachi had snapped Sasuke's wrist like a twig during the younger's first attack barely two hours ago. Sasuke had his arm curled protectively into his chest and he breathed slowly through grit teeth, trying to push through the painful throbbing.

Still, he was better off than Sakura, who sat shivering on the damp floor with her head on her knees. Her breathing was also laboured, but for an entirely different reason. Emptying her stomach several times over didn't appear to have eased the effects of Sasori's poison.

The opportunity to escape couldn't have come at a worse time.

Keeping the apprentices against the back wall not only kept them in sight of their masters, but also kept them far from the temple's wide opening. Seeing as great puddles were being washed inside by the torrential rain, many apprentices found they weren't opposed to being herded to the section farthest from it.

The cacophony surrounding them made it impossible to hear the discussion of the Akatsuki members and Sasuke banked on them not being able to hear them either.

"You'll have to carry Sakura," he said out of the corner of his mouth.

"I _know_ that," the blonde hissed back. "But making an attempt is better than just accepting this bullshit."

"I can't come with you."

"You can't kill Itachi now and these guys certainly aren't going to give you another shot after what you tried today."

"The closer I am to him, the better a chance I've got, dumbass."

"These meetings happen once a year and other than that, squads rarely see each other. You'll have as much luck running into him in Konoha as you will hanging with Orochimaru. Come on, you bastard. Don't sacrifice Sakura and me to these guys for your ambition."

Both their eyes were still on the shadowy murmuring figures of the Akatsuki members, who were standing in a loose circle. The rain slammed down with enough force to make the room echo with noise.

Sasuke sank into a pensive silence for a moment. He would do anything to kill his brother, but would he go as far as to risk _becoming _his brother? Would he throw away the lives of family and friends to complete an objective? Sasuke didn't like to think so.

"I swear if you help me get Sakura-chan home safe I'll help you kill him. And every other bastard wearing an Akatsuki cloak," Naruto said under his breath.

As her stomach lurched and contracted violently, Sakura gulped miserably and dug her fingernails into her knees. Both boys looked down at her.

"Fine," Sasuke conceded at last.

It took Naruto less than 3 seconds to crowd the entire shrine with over 250 _kagebunshin_.

There wasn't enough floor space for the crowds now filling the tiny temple and orange-clad clones were clumsily scrambling over the room's other occupants. The bewildered apprentices were suddenly crushed against and between dozens of bodies, unable to free their arms or untangle their legs or maneuver their weapons or inhale fully. The members of Akatsuki realized what was happening immediately and began to slash anything they came in contact with. Soon the air was filled with the smoke of dissipating clones, which clouded visibility even further.

With the first wave of clone production, Sasuke found himself pushed towards the temple's opening as though carried by the swell of a tide. The temperature inside the temple had grown uncomfortably hot thanks to the exponential multiplying of body heat and Sasuke found the sudden rain unpleasantly icy on his skin.

Nevertheless, he didn't hesitate to run out into the downpour. Pressing his broken wrist into his stomach, he flew towards the dark copse of pine trees across the clearing in front of the temple and only stopped to look behind him after ducking around a tree trunk.

He watched the noisy and chaotic mob still encased in the temple and stayed alert for Sakura's pink hair. His breathing was labored and his wrist was swelling painfully thanks to all the bumping and shoving he just had to go through. He clenched his teeth and pressed it harder into his middle.

Finally, he caught sight of Naruto slipping out of the temple with Sakura draped over his back. He made a quick movement to catch his teammates' attention and Naruto jogged quickly towards him.

Instead of stopping, Sasuke merely fell into step next to him and soon they were running at full speed through the dense trees of Wave Country. The rain drove down mercilessly and the three of them were drenched to the skin in minutes. Drops ran over their faces and snuck into their eyes but neither boy dared slow his pace, despite being frequently whipped by branches and shrubs they could barely see in the thick mists.

"Naruto," Sakura whimpered.

She squeezed his shoulders and squeezed her eyes shut. But it did no good. Her stomach was burning and her nausea was so intense, her vision was shaky. She gulped down some air but Naruto's piggyback ride was quickly becoming unbearable.

When she opened her eyes, she saw that they had come to a road at the top of a hill. As her blond teammate made his way down the muddy slope, Sakura felt her eyes fill with tears and her stomach roil. She wondered if she was dying.

"Stop," she wheezed through dry lips.

But Naruto couldn't hear her over the rain rushing past and he was distracted by where the road had led them.

They had reached the bottom of the hill and a large bridge over a wide river came into view through the mist. As they trekked towards the arch, the noisy rain began to dissipate and melt into fog and by their first steps across the water the only sounds remaining were their breathing, their footsteps, and the waves.

Sakura couldn't take it anymore.

"Naruto...Please...Stop," she gasped out, pushing at his back until he was forced to release her lest she fall backwards.

She dropped to the ground, stumbled towards the edge of the wide wooden bridge, and collapsed onto her hands and knees. Naruto rushed towards her and Sasuke stood close, keeping his eye on the direction they had come despite the impenetrable white clouds rolling around them.

"G-" was all she got out before her body contracted violently.

Her insides twisted, her stomach burned, and her eyes were tearing up again. She opened and closed her mouth several times and although her stomach lurched painfully, there was absolutely nothing in it she could vomit up. She was trapped in the painful spasms of a body trying to expel poison and not having the means to. A sob flew of her and she pressed her forehead to the cold wooden planks that made up the surface of the bridge.

Naruto went to rub her back but any physical contact only made her nausea spike, so she quickly pushed his hand away.

"Go. You need to go," she said between measured breaths.

"No way, Sakura-chan. We're going to get you home," Naruto reassured her, almost frantic.

He went to pick her up again but she pushed him away.

"I can't. God, I just...can't," she said, her voice cracking from stress.

The very thought of moving was physically sickening.

Suddenly a man burst forth from the opaque mist clinging to the bridge. His footsteps were heavy and his breathing loud, which informed Team 7 that he wasn't a ninja. Sweat ran down his leathery face and as he glanced behind him fearfully, he predictably tripped.

Naruto winced at the crunch his old body made as it hit the ground but Sasuke instead trained his eyes and ears on the direction he had arrived from-someone was chasing him, that was certain.

The man fumbled to put his spectacles back on and then caught sight of the three young ninja. His eyes zeroed in on their forehead protectors.

"Hey! You're ninja, right? If you protect me, I'll pay you!"

"We're a little busy right now," Sasuke said, wary of the stranger.

In the blink of an eye, a tall and shadowy ninja appeared behind the man.

White mist swirled around the odd pair but Sasuke could make out the large weapon strapped to newcomer's back. From his eyes down, his face was masked by bandages and a forehead protector, worn sideways, told the world that he was a shinobi from Hidden Mist. As Sasuke was taking stock of the strange ninja, he noted vaguely the resemblance he had to Kakashi.

Sakura was far too ill and weakened to pay any attention to them. She remained on her knees with her forehead pressed to the bridge's damp floor.

The tall shinobi languidly reached over his shoulder and pulled the monstrous sword out of its holster and over his head. At his feet, the old man started shuffling backwards in horror.

"Why are you doing this?" He cried, his voice panicky. "I'm just a bridge builder! I'm only trying to help this region become more economically stable! What's _wrong_ with you people?"

"I'm being paid to do a job," came the swordsman's gravelly voice. "That is all."

"It was Gato, wasn't it? I want to build a bridge to the mainland and that would relieve the poverty that bastard keeps this place in," the old man snarled.

The assassin simply raised his weapon, preparing to end the bridge builder's life in one quick stroke. But Naruto couldn't simply stand aside and allow an innocent man to get slaughtered by a shinobi. As soon as he saw the massive sword rise through the fog, he raced at the pair without thinking.

"Naruto!" Sasuke yelled, incredulous and angry. "We don't have time for this!"

All of the apprentices had been stripped of their basic supplies upon abduction and Naruto was nowhere near skilled enough to go up against a weapon-wielding shinobi of that caliber without even a kunai or exploding tag.

"What the fuck are you doing, brat? Mind your own business," growled the older ninja as he effortlessly obviated Naruto's reckless punches and kicks.

Sasuke watched the fight for several seconds and then made a snap decision. With his broken wrist, he couldn't carry Sakura to safety or form seals to aid Naruto against this obviously more experienced foe, so he jogged towards the scuffle with the intention of yanking his teammate back to his senses. Unfortunately, this was not how the Hidden Mist ninja perceived it and the young Uchiha found himself ducking to avoid a swift decapitation.

"Naruto, let's _go_," he grunted as he blocked or dodged incoming blows while trying to keep his injured wrist from coming into contact with anything.

"We _can't_ just leave the bridge guy to die though!" The blonde retorted before launching a newly-created trio of clones at their opponent.

"He's already run off, you moron! If we don't get moving, _Sakura_ might die!" Sasuke snapped.

"Sakura-chan..." Naruto whispered, turning his head to catch sight of the wilted girl behind them, who lay in the fetal position where they'd left her, unconscious.

This was a mistake.

The Hidden Mist ninja saw the obvious opening and the sharp blade sang through the cloudy air like lightning. Sasuke's eyes widened and on instinct, he threw himself at his blond teammate. The wind was knocked out of Naruto's lungs as he was tackled sideways and hit the ground hard.

"Sasuke, what the-"

Naruto's limbs went cold and his question faded into the mist. He couldn't breathe. He refused to believe what he was seeing.

Sasuke was collapsed on his side, the monstrous sword lodged in his abdomen.

It had sliced straight through the material of his teammate's navy shirt and his pale skin. The depth of the wound made Naruto's hands shake from fear and his veins fill with ice. He numbly crawled towards his teammate and breathed Sasuke's name through teeth chattering from what can only be described as abject terror.

After what seemed like hours, Naruto was close enough to wrap his arms around Sasuke's shoulders, propping his dark head on his forearm. Naruto could feel his teammate's slow breaths on his face and he felt tears pool in his eyes. Though Sasuke's dark eyes were glazed with pain and fear, he met Naruto's gaze.

"You...you can't die here," came his voice in a weak whisper, his hand clasping Naruto's arm with a feebleness that scared the blonde even more than the warm and sticky blood seeping through both their shirts. "I just wish I had been able to...kill...Itachi..."

"Sasuke..." Naruto choked out. His mind thawed and suddenly his thoughts ran rapid and out of control.

_No. No. No. No. This wasn't supposed to happen! He was right there next to me. He was fine. He was annoyed with me like always. That couldn't have been the last time! Come on, Sasuke. You're way too strong to die. Not now. Not like this! Please, not like this._

"I told you to mind your own business, kid," came the swordsman's voice from above.

He loomed over the both of them. His calloused hand was still on the hilt of the sword embedded solidly in the flesh of the youngest Uchiha. He put his foot on Sasuke's hip, preparing to dislodge his weapon from his downed opponent's body, but before he could strengthen his grip he was blasted backwards by an explosion of what felt like boiling chakra.

"Zabuza-san!" Cried an unfamiliar voice in alarm.

A young, feminine ninja in the white mask of a Hunter-nin appeared next to the Mist shinobi, who had landed on his back and without his sword several meters up the bridge.

Where the two young ninja had been lying was now a fiery double helix of red chakra.

The two onlookers could feel the intense heat coming off of the blond genin and the mists were forced away from him as though swept by a gale force wind. Zabuza climbed to his feet, eyeballing the scene with disbelief, and his young companion flung a volley of sharp needles at the figure expelling the thick, poisonous chakra.

Although Haku heard the thunks of direct hits, the blonde remained standing. With a deep and inhuman growl, Naruto's eyes flew open and the needles were propelled out of his body in a wave of pure, undiluted fury. His body was healed instantly.

When the two Mist-nin found themselves being glared at by a pair of intense and demonic red eyes, they dropped into defensive stances. And not a second too soon since the blonde suddenly flew at them in an animalistic charge on all fours.

Haku and Zabuza flew in opposite directions but Naruto vanished from sight and Haku realized with a gasp that he had reappeared behind him. Haku felt a claw of white hot chakra pierce his back and then felt his ribs cracking as he was slammed downwards with terrible force. Dizzy and on the brink of losing consciousness, Haku felt the weight of his attacker fly off him.

Zabuza's hands ran through seals at a rapid pace and the waters under the bridge swelled to form the shape of a giant dragon.

As the demonic attacker charged towards him with newly fanged teeth bared in rage, the watery beast's transparent mouth opened and it launched itself at him only to be reduced to billowing clouds of steam with a loud hiss as it came in contact with the thick chakra encasing the young genin.

Zabuza took a step backwards but it was too late: a pair of sharp claws was savagely embedded in his chest and shoulder. He locked his hands around he blonde's neck but his palms and fingers began to burn on the excruciating temperature of his opponent's skin. A set of needle-like fangs sank into the soft skin of his throat and the Mist-nin cried out in guttural panic and pain.

This wasn't a calculated attack that he could counter with his sharp intelligence and cache of jutsu. This was a primal onslaught fueled by thick, unchecked emotion and it was clawing at his chest with the relentless viciousness of a wild animal.

Zabuza could feel his strength being sapped at a terrifying rate as the numerous wounds inflicted on his torso charred at the edges and bled out freely. As he stumbled backwards towards the bridge's edge, he fought the urge to drop to his knees. But holding onto his dignity was merely a formality now.

Zabuza knew with a heavy certainty that he was staring death in the face.

Naruto could feel the pulse of his enemy tripping and stalling under his claw-like hands. He wrenched them free of his opponent's frame and dropped to the ground, his eyes still glinting with the predatory look of the nine-tailed fox imprisoned inside him.

But as the flood of Naruto's anger receded, the demon felt its chakra inevitably slipping back into his cell, where it would remain silent and unseen until called forth again. The claws melted back into hands, the fangs withdrew, red eyes faded back to blue, and the fiery aura dissipated like smoke. As the demon took its place back behind the dark seal on his stomach, Naruto stumbled. Emotionally and physically exhausted, he collapsed in a graceless and blood-covered heap next to Zabuza's mutilated body.

Haku found the willpower to rise, though he did so slowly and laboriously. Unseen under his clothes, purple and yellow bruises had flowered across his abdomen, outlining the pattern of broken ribs. He made his way to where the two shinobi lay prone on the flooring of the bridge with the fog traveling above them and he knelt at his mentor's side.

Momochi Zabuza was dead, but his murderer was not.

Haku stood fluidly and looked down at the blond genin through the eye holes of his emotionless mask. Naruto peered up at him blearily as three silver needles slid into Haku's right hand.

He silently raised them, preparing to lodge them all into Naruto's exposed throat, when his sharp ears pricked at the familiar whistle of kunai flying his way. He slid out of their way like silk and turned to face the direction they were thrown from.

For several tense seconds, all he could see was creeping white fog. Then a trio of ninja became visible.

"Akatsuki," Haku hissed to himself, identifying the pattern of the men's cloaks billowing in the damp wind.

It appeared only two of the trio belonged to the terrorist organization however. The third appeared much younger and wore simple clothing. He tailed along behind the Akatsuki member Haku recognized as Hoshigaki Kisame, one of the Seven Shinobi Swordsmen of the Mist, as Zabuza had been. He was smiling his shark-like smile at the masked boy and Haku knew his choices were between death and flight. He concealed his needles in his sleeve and his hands swam through the seals of a teleportation jutsu.

A second later, he was gone.

"Well, well, what have we here?" Kisame drawled as he approached the two blood-covered bodies. "Momochi Zabuza. What could have taken you down?"

"Where's his sword?" Said the curious, eager voice of Suigetsu.

"Have some respect, you little bastard," Kisame growled.

Itachi studied his partner and then scoured the nearby area, spying two other felled figures half-concealed in the mist.

The silhouette of one drew his attention and he approached it to find Zabuza's sword embedded sickeningly deep into the side of his little brother. His sharingan traced the pale blue chakra system fluttering through the unconscious boy and Itachi knew that if the intrusive weapon had been yanked out, Sasuke would have bled out and died within seconds.

"Itachi. I presume you noticed the claw and bite marks in my old colleague's body," Kisame called.

"They were hard to miss," Itachi replied, his eyes still fixated on his brother.

"Naruto is also all bloodied up," Suigetsu chimed in. "That masked shinobi had no mercy."

"Do you ever shut up?" Snapped Kisame. "If he had no mercy, no one would be alive, you little twit. Go check that Sasori's girl isn't dead over there."

"Fine. Fine," the younger ninja mumbled before going off to fish for the pink-haired kunoichi in the fog.

"It would not be unreasonable to conclude that that Hunter-nin of the Mist is a highly likely candidate. Those were not marks imposed by a human hand," Kisame said to his partner in a lowered voice.

"So it appears," Itachi confirmed.

Kisame grinned. "Let the fox-hunt begin."

* * *

**2 Months after the Kidnapping**

Itachi refused to tell Naruto whether Sasuke was alive or not.

However, he was intrigued by the fact that, regardless of the lack of information, Naruto adamantly believed Sasuke could have survived such a brutal injury.

A master of emotional and psychological manipulation, Itachi let his blond apprentice worry himself to the bone and torture himself with guilt. So much less effort than actively torturing him and all the easier to mold the young shinobi into whatever Itachi wanted: a team member who was an asset rather than a burden.

Except for the salacious Orochimaru and the laid-back Kisame, most members of the Akatsuki would not have agreed to adopt young and inexperienced apprentices without incentive. Itachi was not the only one of them who was ferociously opposed to relying on more than a partner to watch your back, but the Leader had plans and he was prepared to inveigle his collection of criminals into accepting them.

Sasori could have a guinea pig for his poisons and antidotes. Kakuzu could groom an assistant to aid in his bounty-hunting. Hidan could have a warped version of an altar boy. Itachi would have an innocent mind he could perform genjutsu experiments on.

Itachi was fascinated by the workings of Naruto's still-developing brain and it became a puzzle to mull over in times of boredom. Which mental torment would be the most effective at subduing the blonde? What should the balance be between psychological manipulation and genjutsu-fueled hallucinations? The Uchiha would experiment with small and sporadic administrations, like a man filling in a crossword a few letters at a time.

He loaded Naruto's dreams with the sound of a large sword being wedged into flesh and would then spend the following day stirring up the genin's intense but barely explored fraternal bond with Sasuke. All he had to do then was watch the maelstrom of remorse and worry expand behind his apprentice's blue eyes. However, the boy's sunny optimism appeared irrepressible and Itachi found that many of his attempts at emotional control simply washed away within a day.

"Where are we going?" Naruto asked as the sun began to dip below the trees surrounding them.

As far as he could tell, they were marching directly to the center of the dark thick woods of Lightning Country. Usually, their squad would have found a resting place for the night by now but Itachi and Kisame made no move to cease their relentless gait.

Vexed that his question would go unanswered, Naruto huffed at the two older ninjas' cloaked backs.

At his side, Suigetsu was panting. While Naruto's rapid ability to heal allowed him to easily adapt to the Akatsuki regimen of never-ending foot travel, Suigetsu couldn't go a day without gulping down gallons of water and complaining about his feet all the while.

A rock formation loomed in front of them, cast in the shadows of the setting sun. The boulders were all the size of small houses and clustered together in a heap. Itachi and Kisame effortlessly leapt to the summit of the closest one and the two baffled apprentices followed suit. They stood on their perch with the sun in their eyes until Kisame nonchalantly grabbed Suigetsu by the scruff of his neck and dropped him into a wide crag in the rock.

Suigetsu's wail of surprise was cut short by the hard ground, which he hit with the resounding splash of his body instinctively morphing into water to break his fall. Naruto stared at the dark crevice incredulously until he felt a firm hand push him in too.

He had the wits about him to land on his feet though, which was lucky since he didn't have the option of turning into a puddle.

It was only a 20 foot drop but a small cavern apparently lay underneath the ground below the collection of boulders above them. The steppes of sheet rock and pudgy stalagmites were illuminated by several lit torches that flickered in the cool, underground air.

Naruto heard Itachi and Kisame make their landings behind him. He had just enough time to catch sight of the other Akatsuki members before he felt someone fling their arms around him and pink hair filled his vision.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelped gleefully, hugging her tightly. A wide, joyful grin split his face.

"And here I presumed you would have crushed all those smiles out of him by now," snickered Kakuzu, his green eyes studying the embracing apprentices.

"People like him take time," Itachi replied stonily.

Sakura found her eyes filling with tears as she pressed her nose into the familiar scent of Naruto. He smelled just like she remembered him, like Konoha air and streets in the sun and well-worn clothes. She wanted to never let him go but she felt his hands on her shoulders push her back and she brushed at her eyes self-consciously.

Then she realized he was leaning in to kiss her and punched him in the face.

"Naruto!" She shrieked indignantly.

He sat on the floor, rubbing his throbbing head and laughing a little.

"Feel better, Sakura-chan?"

She blinked in surprise and a small, grateful smile graced her lips. She stretched out her hand and he took it, allowing himself to be pulled to his feet. It was only then he realized that a black cloak with scarlet clouds lay on her shoulders.

The sleeves came down past her hands so she was constantly pushing them up past her elbows and the hem of the cloak was touching the rock bed beneath their feet. She looked like a little girl playing dress up.

Naruto imagined Sasori helping her into it and crooning, "Don't worry, honey. You'll grow into it."

She caught him eying it with dread and looked down, humiliated. Her hair fell into her face and Naruto realized with a start that her forehead protector had vanished from its usual place.

"What happened to your..." Naruto started to say, ending his question with a sad gesture towards her head.

"Sasori put a slash through it and she was too ashamed to wear the mark of an exile, so she took it off," came a familiar cold voice.

Naruto's stomach lurched and he spun quickly to find himself face to face with Sasuke, whose pale face was lit with the warm glow of the torches.

The youngest Uchiha was also wearing an Akatsuki cloak. It lay open, revealing an abdomen that was heavily bandaged. Naruto's attention lingered on it before rising to meet his old team mate's dark eyes. He flinched when he saw the sharp anger there.

Sakura looked nervously between the two boys.

Despite a lack of medical know-how and despite a persistent numbness in her arm and leg muscles (the side effect from Sasori's poison of the month), Sakura had been tasked with being Sasuke's nurse and attendant throughout the past few weeks. Sasuke had been about as grateful and cooperative as a tiger with a toothache.

Disgusted with his weakened state, embarrassed that he could barely fight, and enraged that he had failed to kill Itachi during their previous encounter, Sasuke had been hotheaded since the events on the bridge.

Sakura didn't know whether Naruto would soothe Sasuke's mood or exacerbate it but, on a gut instinct, her hands slowly started to rise.

"What's the matter, Sasuke? Look like you're itching for a fight," Naruto said through a grin, his eyes bright.

30 seconds later, the gathered members of Akatsuki looked over to see Naruto and Sasuke grappling over the crumpled form of Sakura who was desperately trying to force them apart with her skinny arms.

Her hair was getting pulled and her cloak was getting yanked as the two boys clawed and punched at each other around her. All three of them of them were yelling in anger or indignation or both. A burst of fire from Sasuke's mouth singed off the bottom inch of Sakura's pink hair and scorched Naruto's right arm. A thump to Sasuke's abdomen caused some blood to surface on the white bandages wrapped around his middle. Toes got crushed, fingers got broken, and wrists got sprained.

It was then that the Leader decided that instead of meeting physically, it would make more sense for the members of Akatsuki to use an astral-projection jutsu in the future.

* * *

**1 Year after the Kidnapping**

Naruto's knew that he would suffer greatly at the hands of Itachi for this but his feet kept running and his breath kept flying in and out of his lungs. He swiped a low-hanging branch out of his way and leaped over an immense fallen tree. He couldn't stop now. He was so close. Future punishments be damned.

The sky was suddenly clear and blue above him. The trees had thinned drastically as the fields approached a series of squat red cliffs peppered with weeds. The vague chakra Naruto had sensed was now a vivid presence and as he approached the cliffs, he slowed and stopped.

The long grass tickled his ankles and his blue eyes landed on the figure perched like a hawk on the edge of the rocky escarpment.

Naruto was panting lightly and sweating from the run. Drops traveled down the back of his neck and soaked the t-shirt he wore under the cloak. In direct contrast, the figure on the cliff appeared calm and still, the cooling breeze ruffling his dark hair. Serene, uncaring eyes were fixed on his own but Naruto expected to find few other expressions on his rival's face.

"Sasuke..." Escaped Naruto's mouth.

"So you came," stated Sasuke in a restrained tone. "Does that mean Itachi's here as well?"

"No."

Sasuke's appearance hadn't changed much during their separation. He still wore the Akatsuki cloak open over a bare torso wrapped in bandages and dark, loose pants. He wore no forehead protector, unlike Naruto who couldn't bear to discard the one Iruka had bestowed on him despite the deep groove now lying through the Konoha symbol. The younger Uchiha had also obtained a katana since their last meeting and it hung from his slim hips in an unmarked sheath.

Although his face remained stoic, Sasuke also took note of his rival's appearance. Naruto wore the Akatsuki cloak open too and his (mutilated) forehead protector was nestled in his blond hair right where it always was.

"Where's Sakura-chan?"

Sasuke regarded the blonde coolly but didn't answer.

"We can't leave her behind!"

"Ah...you still want to return to Konoha."

Naruto squinted up in disbelief at the silhouette of his rival.

"What the hell? Are you saying you don't?"

"Orochimaru can give me the power I need to complete my vengeance and being part of Akatsuki means I will be able to track my brother's location. My bonds with Konoha have been severed. They caused me to lose focus and weakened my greatest desire."

"If that's true...if that's true then why...why didn't you just let me die on the bridge?" Naruto bellowed to the cliffs.

Sasuke snorted in amusement. "You're no longer part of Konoha, Naruto. Or have you forgotten?"

Naruto swallowed hard and glared upwards, his teeth bared in anger.

"I saved your life on a whim of mine," Sasuke continued.

And suddenly, the rest of the sentence was drawled directly into Naruto's ear.

"Wouldn't be terribly hard to take it on a whim too, I see."

Naruto was rooted in place, his eyes wide and his breathing paused. When had Sasuke become so _fast_? The only indication that Sasuke had moved and not simply reappeared were their black and crimson cloaks, which whipped backwards in the movement.

His rival's cold attitude, immense speed, and sudden physical closeness were messing with Naruto's mind. Sasuke leaned into Naruto, his arm flung lazily over the blonde's shoulder and his face next to his.

"If you have the time to chase me around, you would been better off training. Don't you think, Naruto?"

Blood started to course through Naruto's veins again and he extended his fingers on the hands that were still down at his side. His eyes slid sideways and he turned his head slightly, his chin brushing Sasuke's sleeve, until his eyes met dark ones.

"I'd say your brother's been training me just fine."

Sasuke's stomach gave an uncomfortable lurch and with a shock, the body of Naruto that Sasuke had been leaning into simply disintegrated into thin air. Warm hands slid over Sasuke's sides and torso and in less than a heartbeat, Naruto was embracing Sasuke from behind in a firm hold.

"You're not the only one who can tease," the blonde's voice whispered into the pale shell of Sasuke's ear.

Sasuke wasn't sure if it was the fluidity of Naruto's genjutsu or the uncomfortably intimate tone that had shook him, but he'd be damned if he let it show.

"Your choice of defense was quite correct," he said steadily.

Naruto heard rather than saw Sasuke unsheathe his sword and instinctively dodged the arc of the blade that struck towards him like lightning.

His hands flew into a familiar seal and a trio of _kagebunshin_ appeared. Sasuke made quick work of them and thrust his sword forward towards Naruto's chest. The blonde hopped backwards, felt his heel hit something solid, and attempted to parry with a kunai.

Sasuke's blade halved the small weapon like it was made of cardboard and when Naruto employed an impulsive burst of genjutsu meant to confuse an enemy, the blade sank into his shoulder with just as little effort.

"That choice of defense however was quite the mistake."

"Bastard."

The blade had cleanly pierced the flesh above Naruto's armpit and the blonde found himself pinned to the ridged side of a large boulder. He belatedly realized that Sasuke had summoned his bloodline.

"You see, this sword of Kusanagi I hold here is a little special. It's the kind that can't be blocked."

Naruto realized that numbness rather than pain was spreading out from the wound in ripples and looked away from Sasuke for a second to inspect the weapon stuck in him. A steady hum of electricity could be heard bouncing along the blade.

_So that's it_, Naruto thought. _Not only would that make the blade extremely sharp, it would also paralyze the opponent._

He inhaled, his back expanding against the rock, and when he exhaled, his fangs had already thickened in his mouth. Sasuke found himself pinned by eyes red enough to rival his crimson sharingan and noted that the scars on his rival's face had become larger, raised, and more defined.

_**Hehe...this is your chance, Naruto...**_ a voice crooned from inside of his very soul. _**Show him...Make him see how our powers are not to be trifled with.**_

The voice was gruff and demonic but the urging felt like silk and Naruto felt his nails harden into claws designed to rip muscle off the bones of creatures still screaming. He sucked in a breath though, hesitant.

_**What's wrong? Why so unsure... You need my power, right?**_

Boiling red chakra began to churn in Naruto's stomach and bubble up around his skin. Sensing his host's tacit but reluctant acceptance, the fox grinned within his chamber.

_**Well then...**_

Naruto found himself knee deep in water that was quickly warming, the ghastly form of the fox overflowing through the bars of his prison. Two rows of carnivorous teeth formed, frighteningly solid and white, and a pair of bloodthirsty eyes completed the giant face. The eyes were outlined in black fur that streaked back towards the fox's ears.

_**Who do you want to kill?**_

Naruto looked up at the monster with sharp eyes.

"Your face...I don't want to see it anymore!" He snapped.

_**Why is it you grow fearful?**_

"Shut up! I don't need your power!"

_**And just who was it that, up until now, came shouting "Lend me your power!" every time something came up? You should know quite well that you can't do a single thing without me.**_

The Nine-Tails punctuated this with a cruel laugh. Naruto merely glared.

_**Remove the seal once and for all...**_ The fox purred. _**If you do, then I'll entrust you with all of my power.**_

"Get lost!" Naruto sneered, putting up a hand as though to push the beast away.

But it was Sasuke's hand that landed on Kyuubi's nose.

For once, both the host and the demon were united in emotion: utter shock that another had so calmly entered this deepest nook of Naruto's soul. Kyuubi regained his composure first.

_**Ah...so you're an Uchiha. Allow me to congratulate you on making it this far.**_

"Why are you here?" Naruto asked sideways, unwilling to completely relinquish his focus on the grinning fox.

"So this is your secret power then," Sasuke murmured, his hand still lifted like a lion tamer and his Sharingan appraising Naruto. "Hard to believe that something like _this_ existed inside you."

_**Impressive that you've become able to see me here inside Naruto. Such would be the power of that accursed Sharingan...and your forsaken ancestry.**_

Naruto looked between the demon and his rival, feeling irritated that two entities were having a conversation he wasn't following inside his own mind. Sasuke's eyes widened a fraction as it clicked.

"It would appear this isn't the first time you've gazed into eyes such as these...which would make you the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, no doubt," the Uchiha concluded.

_**Eyes with power and chakra more sinister than my own...not at all unlike what I once saw in a certain Uchiha Madara.**_

With a grabbing motion from Sasuke, the demon's form violently disintegrated back into hot bubbles of chakra, into shapelessness.

Naruto was speechless.

"And you expect me to know that person why now?" Sasuke drawled.

_**Unbelievable...to think you'd even be able to suppress my power. I may not see you again but I warn you...Don't kill Naruto. You'll end up regretting-**_

And then suddenly, they were back in the sunlight and staring at each other from either end of Sasuke's sword.

"Sasuke..." Naruto gasped as the blade was abruptly yanked out of the wound.

"You're one of the jinchuuriki the Akatsuki is searching for," the Uchiha said, hardly believing the words coming out of his mouth.

"You can't turn me in!" Naruto yelped in panic, his hand pressing into the puncture to stop the bleeding.

Since Sasuke had suppressed the Kyuubi's chakra by force, Naruto doubted the demon would be forthcoming in healing him.

"You're still quite the kid, Naruto," Sasuke said, a small mirthless smile playing on his lips. "Revenge means everything to me. I need you to keep tabs on Itachi, so what good would it do me to turn you in?"

"Keep tabs? I'll help you kill the bastard if you'd like."

"Tch, you can't even beat me," Sasuke retorted. "You'll never beat me. You're being trained in genjutsu and no illusion tricks a Sharingan."

Naruto grimaced. "Yeah...well, we'll see about that."

* * *

**1 Year and 6 Months after the Kidnapping**

The knowledge that a Sharingan-wielder could dive directly into Kyuubi's dank cell had urged Naruto to endure Itachi's difficult, sometimes torturous training sessions with fewer complaints lest Itachi suddenly decide to take his own tour of the inner workings of the blonde's mind. Ever since that altercation with Sasuke by the cliffs, Naruto hadn't dared allowed the fox's chakra to surface and wouldn't even allow himself to think about summoning it purposefully.

On the bright side, actively suppressing any hint of Kyuubi had allowed Naruto's own personal chakra levels to rise, which in turn prompted his chakra control to grow. Although, his genjutsu skills had improved more in the last 6 months than in the entire year previous, his once sunny and loud personality had suddenly become more subdued as well.

Not that his squad mates minded.

"I'm still pissed we can't just _stay _in the damn village," groused Suigetsu from Naruto's side as the village's quaint little entrance gate came into view between the trees.

The two of them had shed their Akatsuki cloaks and Suigetsu had relinquished Zabuza's sword. They were both in civilian outfits and the breezy day was giving them both goosebumps. Naruto absently rubbed his arms and passed through the wooden gate with Suigetsu still complaining behind him.

"It's not like it would take more than an ounce of genjutsu to disguise all of us. Then we could stay in a goddamn inn with baths and room service instead of a fucking cave."

But they both knew that anyone tracking Akatsuki would doubtless check all of the inns in such a village which, despite its small size, was in an ideal location for travelers going between Tea Country and southern Fire Country. The sun had only just risen but the food and merchant stalls on the main road were already open for business.

And not in vain. A crowd of housewives, children, and servants fluttering from seller to seller greeted the two Akatsuki apprentices in the chilly morning.

Naruto split the money they had been given and held out the handful of coins for Suigetsu to take.

"I'll go up the left side of the market. You take the right."

The Mist-nin considered commenting on Naruto's apparent urge to get rid of him but decided that he also could use some time alone. There were few opportunities for solitude when traveling in a terrorist cell; they may as well take advantage of such a task as grocery shopping to split up.

Suigetsu and Naruto went their separate ways, both mulling over the list of items they had been sent to purchase. Sunlight caught the drops on freshly washed mounds of apples and nectarines, causing several of the fruit to appear flecked with gold. Naruto slowly walked over to the merchant's stall, his hands in his pockets and his eyes listless.

What appeared to be the merchant's son caught sight of Naruto's approach.

"What can I do for you, dead-last?"

A shock ran through Naruto like electricity and he looked up sharply.

"What?"

"Lemme guess, apples?"

Naruto stared at the young man's suntanned face for a few more uncomfortable seconds.

"Um...uh...yeah, apples," mumbled the blonde.

The shopkeeper's son rolled his eyes, his impatience clearly low.

"How many?"

"Oh. Eight."

A small plastic bag appeared in the young man's hand and he started rifling through the piles of apples. A few seconds later, the transaction was complete. Naruto was about to turn away when the merchant's son thrust out his brown arm, a ninth apple in his hand.

"Huh?"

"Maybe if you get some food in you, your brain will start working."

"Uh...thanks."

Naruto reached to take the apple. When it plonked into the blonde's waiting hand, the hair on the back of his neck rose. He looked down at the red fruit and frowned as he wandered out of the way of the pushy, noisy customers waiting behind him for their fruit.

The distinct but unthreatening pull of genjutsu began as soon as his fingers had wrapped around the apple and as he looked at it in puzzlement, words embedded in the apple's freckled skin swam into view.

_Bookshop alley 20 minutes_

Naruto was at a loss as to why the fruit merchant's son would know genjutsu or would want to meet him in the bookshop alley in twenty minutes but when he looked behind him, the stand was thronged with too many people to make out the sellers.

Itachi had demonstrated on a plethora of occasions how vexed he was by his apprentice asking _why?_ before obeying an order. So, inculcated to follow instructions, Naruto located the bookshop and the narrow alleyway adjacent to it.

The alley was barely four feet wide and was inhabited by two petite garbage cans. Weeds pushed through the walls and up through the ground, however it was obviously swept out once in a while as there was no litter. It was a surprisingly clean alley.

A familiar figure stood in the shadows with his arms folded in front of him.

"Sasuke? What are you doing here?" Naruto asked dully.

"Don't tell me you've lost even more brain cells than twenty minutes ago."

"Oh...you were the fruit seller guy."

And then Naruto didn't say anything else.

Sasuke frowned at his old teammate's indolence and wondered if he was coming down with some type of sickness. It was almost as though Naruto's eyes were seeing the world out of focus, registering shapes and events but with a sense that was blunted and disconnected. The vim and spark that could once be found in those blue eyes had vanished beneath the surface.

Sasuke had a few theories as to why Naruto had been reduced to a zombie state and he didn't like the sound of any of them.

Itachi could have intentionally rendered his apprentice to be like this by employing trauma. Or perhaps in response to such brutal treatment, Naruto had retreated into this state in order to protect himself. Or Itachi could have slowly spun a web of genjutsu around his senses, crafting a personal world for Naruto that was bleak enough to wear away the blonde's defenses and optimism. It was also possible that genjutsu had been used to restrict some of Naruto's thoughts.

Sasuke reached out and gripped Naruto's wrist, knowing that if it was simply genjutsu, a touch would break the illusion. However, the only response from Naruto was to turn his empty gaze to the point of contact.

"Naruto. This isn't acceptable. I have enough reasons to kill my brother without adding you to the list of victims I have to avenge."

"Okay," Naruto responded listlessly.

Sasuke's next idea was to throw a punch at the blonde's face.

Naruto instinctively blocked. It was effective but without passion and his blue eyes still continued to stare blankly. A series of subsequent physical attacks led to similar reactions from the blonde, who quickly placed his bag of apples on the ground and out of harm's way.

_Puzzling_, Sasuke thought, intent on picking apart the intricate genjutsu Itachi had embedded into Naruto's subconscious mind.

This wasn't simply trauma; a person with a childhood like Naruto's couldn't reach this level of trauma. There had to be genjutsu at work here. An intricate, specific type of genjutsu that operated almost like a virus that subdued emotional intensity but enhanced loyalty or obedience.

As soon as Sasuke ceased his attacks, Naruto simply picked up his bag of fruit and returned to his previous enervated state. It appeared as though Itachi had somehow divided Naruto's physical reactions from his emotional ones with an astonishingly complex genjutsu barrier. Sasuke smirked. It would be an impressive piece of work in concept and execution had Naruto not been the kind of fighter who was fueled by emotions rather than held back.

"Naruto, how did Itachi make you this way?"

"I dunno."

"Was the emotional barrier built over time or did you wake up like this one day?"

"Uh...woke up, I think."

"So you know it's there."

"Yeah."

"Why not remove it?"

"I don't care that it's there."

Sasuke evaluated the situation in light of this knowledge.

If the barrier had been put in place all at once, it could likely also be vanquished in one move. And it was likely Naruto's own explosive emotions could tear it down if they got an opening. All that was needed was a metaphorical hole in the dam. But by preventing outside forces to stir Naruto's emotions and by preventing Naruto from caring about the barrier, Itachi had guaranteed that the ocean of the blonde's emotions would remain calm and unaggressive behind its wall.

It was clever, Sasuke conceded. But wasn't it possible that Itachi had underestimated the full intensity of his teammate's passion? After all, Naruto would have had to reign in his emotions in order to keep the Nine-Tailed Fox off his squad mates' radars and it was possible that Itachi had yet to understand how high the tides of the blonde's emotions could rise.

If that was the case, Sasuke concluded, he would have to stir up the gut reaction Naruto had had towards him when they were younger, before Naruto had learned to oppress his emotions in order to restrict the fox.

He could continue his physical attacks and throw in verbal taunts until the blonde's childhood anger at losing caused him to summon the Kyuubi, an action that would doubtlessly shatter the genjutsu barrier.

But knowing how close in proximity both their Akatsuki cells were to the town, that seemed counterproductive. Why release Naruto from his zombie state if the senior Akatsuki members imprisoned him as soon as a blast of demon chakra alerted them to where he was? Sasuke needed him to spy on his brother after all.

Sasuke then remembered another instance that had caused a violent reaction in Naruto. And himself as well. His stomach had lurched uncomfortably had the thought of that day for years. It couldn't be much of a stretch to assume the same had been true for Naruto.

Before he could second-guess himself, Sasuke stepped forward and pressed his lips to Naruto's. He held the kiss for several seconds and then awkwardly retreated, wiping his mouth on the back of his cloak sleeve.

A frown had settled itself into the blonde's forehead but his eyes had yet to shake off their unfocused sheen. But Sasuke knew then that he was right. He couldn't force Naruto's emotions to form barrier-smashing waves, but he _could_ make the water boil over the top of the dam.

Sasuke stepped forward again and put a hand on either side of Naruto's head, this time pulling his teammate into the kiss. From his rather close vantage point, Sasuke could see emotions beginning to stir behind Naruto's blue eyes and the furrow on his forehead grow deeper.

But when he retreated for the second time, the younger Uchiha realized that the listlessness was again creeping quickly back into Naruto's expression.

"Fuck," Sasuke sighed and stepped forward for the third time.

He shoved Naruto across the slim alley so that the blonde's back collided with the clean brick wall and the bag of apples plonked back to the ground. He fisted his hands into Naruto's black t-shirt and he kissed him _hard_.

Naruto made an odd sound in the back of his throat but Sasuke assumed (correctly) that if he stopped now, the barrier would rise back above the waves. So he pressed his teammate into the wall, his hands pushing his shoulders and his thighs pinning his legs. His mouth opened and Naruto's lips, wet from Sasuke's kiss, followed suit.

It was a sloppy kiss, meant to be shocking and invasive rather than romantic. Sasuke shoved his tongue into his old teammate's mouth and experimentally tilted his head to find new angles. His eyes closed and his grip shifted from Naruto's shirtfront to his shoulders, clutching hard enough to bruise.

Naruto hands had been at his sides but slowly they started reacting to Sasuke's forceful act, pushing at the Uchiha's stomach and sides, yanking at his cloak, and finally rising to grip his wrists painfully.

Both were breathing heavily through their noses and Sasuke could feel Naruto's pulse gaining speed. Both were signs that his plan was working: the barrier isolating the blonde's emotions had begun to crumble. Sasuke knew it wouldn't be long until Naruto launched a punch at his face. His tongue thrusted and stroked without abandon and Naruto's, which had initially lain lifeless under Sasuke's barrage, began to curl and push back.

Bursts of white light began to go off in front of Naruto's eyes but whether it was the lack of oxygen traveling to his brain or the genjutsu finally giving way, Naruto didn't know. He swallowed hard and managed to pull his head back, creating a tiny gap between their mouths that allowed him to suck in a lungful of much-needed air.

"Sasuke..." Naruto rasped out during the pause.

Something unexpectedly hot flew through Sasuke's stomach and pooled in his groin, making him harden. It would be hours later, when he was struggling to fall asleep, before he would fully realize the reason for such a reaction: he had never heard his name sound like that before.

His name had been coated in Naruto's anger, the villagers' pity, his mother's love, his brother's exasperation, Sakura's horror, Ino's girlish worship, his teachers' respect...but he had never heard it swathed in a layer of intimacy.

The two remained frozen like that for several tense seconds, each registering the other's breath on his lips with an unexplainable avalanche of emotions, among them uncertainty, lust, gratefulness, and terror.

Then, slowly, fingers curled from clothes and grips loosened on arms. Both wiped their mouths embarrassedly and looked away as Sasuke stepped back from where he had Naruto pinned to the wall.

"Um...it worked," Naruto mumbled, his face a bright shade of red.

"Of course it did," Sasuke snapped, unwilling to acknowledge his own discomfort. "I wouldn't have done such a thing otherwise."

"Yeah...I know that. Thanks."

Sasuke spared Naruto one quick glance and then walked out of the alley into the sunlit street.

* * *

**2 Years after the Kidnapping**

"Suigetsu's dependable enough. Karin's in love with you so she'd be for it."

"I'm already aware of who I'll need to complete my mission."

"If we don't pull this off, we'll both be dead. You know that, right?"

"Tch, took you long enough to realize it."

"And Sakura..."

"She'll pull through with or without us, Naruto."

"We should include her in this though."

"As the plan remains, she would be of little help."

"We shouldn't write her off though."

"...no, I suppose we shouldn't."

**

* * *

**

"Naruto," came a stern voice.

His eyes opened and he squinted up at the blond woman standing against the sun. He groaned and rolled over in the grass, only to feel Tsunade's pointed shoe impatiently prodding him in the back.

"Stop daydreaming and get up. Break's over."

* * *

_Author's Note_:

Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed and added this story to their favourites list despite my long, long absence. Your encouragement really does mean a great deal to me.

-Ms Trick


	5. Ch 4 Coming to Blows

**Akatsuki's Brats**

Ch 4 - Coming to Blows

* * *

_Author_: Ms Trick

_Notes_: I thrive on reviews. I really appreciate feedback on my stories. Like you have no idea.

* * *

From above, the sand storm must have looked like billows of gold and saffron silk being cast across the desert floor. From the ground, it felt like an endless cloud of biting insects throwing themselves against the body of the traveler.

Alone, he trudged heavily through the sea of sand that was erupting in waves around him. Although his face was masked, his head covered, and his body swathed a cloak, he could still feel the bruising sprays of sand.

He pushed onward with his head bowed low and was nearly caught by surprise when Sunagakure's towering perimeter wall appeared in the swirling sands. The few feet to the wall were agonizing, but finally the weary traveller's calloused hand met the wall's warm, grainy surface.

He followed his instincts eastward as the sun had long been hidden, his fingers wearily trailing the wall, until at long last Hatake Kakashi found himself in front of the gigantic village gates, waiting for the storm to pass and for someone to let him in.

* * *

"Punch this rock," she said without preamble.

Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto saw a small boulder come hurtling towards him. He spun quickly, flinging out a fist, and punched the boulder aside as though it were made of paper. It landed with a crash thirty feet away.

Naruto's heart rate hadn't even sped up.

A small smile crept onto Tsunade's youthful face as she took in the sight of him.

"Gotta hand it to ya, kid. You said you'd master my technique in three days and you did. Well done."

Naruto smiled a wide, happy grin and scratched the back of his head bashfully.

"Tsunade-sama! Naruto-kun!" Called Shizune from the entrance of the park.

They looked over to see her laden with a picnic basket, her dolled-up pig at her side. Hungry and eager to escape the hot sun, the three ninja found a shady spot on the grass under a tree to have their lunch.

Their conversation was light and about nothing in particular until Shizune stood, brushed off her skirt, and cleaned up the remains of their picnic. As she walked back down the path she came, the tone of Tsunade and Naruto's conversation darkened.

"What are you going to do?"

Naruto sighed and pulled out a few blades of grass before answering.

"I can't leave the Akatsuki. Sasuke needs me to help him with his plan."

"Loyalty's great and all but Uchiha Itachi could discover what you are and kill you before you even get a chance to help Sasuke."

"He'd kill me if I tried to leave now anyway," Naruto scoffed. "Might as well stick around."

"Of course, we're assuming that Itachi doesn't already know you're a jinchuuriki. He was only a child when you were born but he was an exceptional child. It's very possible that he knows exactly what you are and, out of some affection for you, has decided not to turn you in."

"Itachi? Feel affection?" Naruto echoed, incredulous. "The same Itachi that murdered his parents and slaughtered everyone in his clan except for Sasuke? Not likely. If he does know who I am, he's just waiting for the most efficient time to turn me in."

"Right," Tsunade said, exhaling heavily. Noticing Naruto's gloomy face, she quickly added, "Or you might just be a lucky bastard. Y'know, that whole thing about being in the dark when you're too close to the lighthouse?"

"Uh..."

"That maybe you're safe because you're the last person they'd expect to be the jinchuuriki they're searching for."

"Maybe."

"I mean, you've just been treated as a ninja with an exceptionally large amount of chakra, right? People with chakras as large as yours are rare but not unbelievable."

"Yeah..." Naruto responded vaguely, a worried frown still on his forehead.

Worried about him, Tsunade only let a few seconds go by before revving up the conversation again.

"I nearly forgot, you're probably still waiting for me to acknowledges your dream of becoming Hokage, right?"

"What?" Naruto asked, confused.

"Those were the terms of the bet. And you won it!"

Naruto chuckled. "That's right, though I was pretty angry that night. Becoming Hokage...is a dream I've been slowly forgetting, Tsunade-sensei."

"What?" She said with a start. "That's all you talk about!"

Naruto looked up at the clear sky and the sannin saw a deep sadness in his eyes. It was a look she knew she wore sometimes. It was a look he was achingly too young to have.

"I talk about it because I'm not ready to not talk about it. I'm a monster being trained as a criminal. If Konoha hated me back then, they'll hate me even more now. The odds of me becoming Hokage are...bad, to say the least. No, they _were_ bad when I was a kid. Now, it's pretty much impossible."

Then and there, Tsunade determined the final path her life would take. She would return to Konoha, to her hometown, and become its leader. She would spend the rest of her life clearing the way so that Naruto could someday succeed her. It would be difficult but it would be done. Determination like she hadn't known since she was a girl gripped her heart firmly.

"Naruto..."

He looked at her and she placed something around his neck. Surprised, he touched the crystal that now rested against his chest.

"This necklace belonged to my grandfather, the First Hokage. Unique to him was the power to control jinchuuriki and the tailed beasts. This ability was enhanced by the necklace and it will help you suppress the Nine-Tailed Fox's chakra."

He grasped the gem and looked at her wonderingly.

"Naruto, as long as I'm Godaime, you'll always have a home in Konoha. Have faith in your dream."

She reached out and gently lifted his chin with her soft hands. Their eyes met and Naruto swallowed hard at the look of kindness she was giving him, a lump forming at the base of his throat.

"Come home someday, okay?"

Naruto rubbed his wet eyes with the back of his hand, embarrassed. He couldn't remember the last time he'd cried. Then again, he couldn't remember the last time anyone had been this kind to him.

A deafeningly loud and searingly hot explosion suddenly erupted a hundred feet into the air in the middle of the little tourist town.

Naruto and Tsunade froze.

They looked at the town with their eyes wide and unbelieving for a few seconds, and then both of them rushed to their feet and ran towards the fiery inferno. Civilians ran in all directions, most screaming, and all of them getting in their way. The two blond ninja took to the rooftops, still running at full speed.

"That came from the direction of the inn..." Naruto muttered under his breath.

* * *

Itachi sat in silence on the floor of the room he was sharing with Kisame, his cloak open. The tatami was smooth and warm under him. The pachinko parlour adjacent to the inn was raucous at this time in the afternoon, but the elder Uchiha heard none of it, his thoughts busy behind his stoic face.

The door of the room slid open and his partner came in with a towel wrapped around his waist. Kisame had spent nearly an hour in the onsen and wisps of steam were still clinging to his rough, blue skin. He grinned toothily at Itachi, whose only acknowledgement was to focus his dark eyes.

"So we're writing off Zabuza's pet project, I presume?" Kisame finally spoke.

He reached for his folded clothes and began to dress.

"Unless the Nine-Tailed Fox was transferred to a new host since its defeat at the hands of Konoha's Yondaime, it is impossible that Haku would contain the beast," Itachi said after a pause.

"Especially considering that bijuu tend to be sealed inside siblings or spouses or children of village leaders," Kisame continued, now fully clothed.

Itachi looked him in the eye and Kisame suddenly changed topics.

"You should commend your dumb apprentice for doing something right. Getting that information out of the new Hokage of Konoha...She'll have a soft spot for him in the future that will come in handy."

"Hm," Itachi intoned in agreement..

Without warning, a hailstorm of kunai with exploding tails flew through the wall facing the street, immediately swallowing the room in a fiery inferno.

It was deafening. The wooden walls of their inn room snapped and splintered with a screaming sound. The tatami floors caught flame and charred within seconds. The smell of burning futons wafted through the smoke.

Both elder Akatsuki members had been flung backwards into the hallway with the explosion and quickly leapt upwards to the suddenly very-accessible roof, to avoid any contiguous barrages.

Itachi was unsurprised to see Sasuke standing on the roof of the building across the now chaotic street. He met his younger brother's fierce red eyes with a nonplussed expression on his face and imperceptibly tensed for a fight.

* * *

The sun approached its zenith, setting the early afternoon on fire and clearing the streets of Sunagakure. The village's citizens spent this portion of the day burrowed inside shady adobe houses and cool underground rooms, only stepping into the burning sunshine when necessary.

It had not been difficult entering the city; one of Sasori's subordinates had granted them quick and undetected entry thanks to a previous delicate brainwashing performed on him. After that they could afford to relax some. Few in Sunagakure would recognize Sakura and few living had seen Sasori's face.

Now, Sakura knelt in front of Suzumebachi on the sandy floor of the main puppet warehouse, various tools and spare wooden parts in arms' reach on the bench next to her. Piled neatly underneath it was the belt her other scrolls were hooked onto. The warehouse lights had been darkened and the few other people in the building spoke softly, as though anything too loud might increase the temperature.

She had removed her distinctive cloak before entering and her mentor had tucked it inside one of Hiruko's many compartments before leaving her to her task. As such, her entrance and actions had gone unremarked.

Her thoughts drifted to Sasori as she methodically oiled and tweaked the giant puppet's many joints and hinges. A small unconscious smile graced her face as she replayed the words he said to her after her skirmish with Sasuke. But her heart also twisted a little. That had been the only nugget of approval she had received in three weeks and she was growing restless, like an addict craving a fix.

She sighed unhappily and wondered what she could do to garner more of his affection. She'd capture the One-Tail herself if it meant a smile from him. She vaguely registered the building's other occupants chatting as they exited before she stepped back from Suzumebachi and flung out her chakra strings. The looming marionette then began to mime all its attacks.

Blades emerged and retracted fluidly. Joints rolled easily in their sockets. Small hatches opened and closed soundlessly. The glass nooks that held poison had been cleaned out and refilled. Anything wooden had been sanded smooth and anything metal gleamed. The kanji on its forehead appeared freshly painted.

Sakura eyeballed her work and felt proud; Suzumebachi looked as though it had never been in a fight. Grateful to be finished, she stood up and stretched, relieving some of the stiffness in her arms and legs, before running her hands through her short hair.

She rolled out the scroll that acted as Suzumebachi's home but hesitated before returning him to the elaborate seal. She bit her lip and looked in the direction of the door of the warehouse despite the racks of wooden puppets blocking her view. If Sasori came in the next few minutes, he would see all the hard work she had lavished on her puppet and he might compliment her again.

It was a long shot but Sakura knew that even if he didn't say anything, the fact that he knew she was capable of such great work would be enough. He couldn't be too much longer, she thought, sitting on the bench with the scroll still in hand.

She decided to linger a few minutes longer and soon enough her eyes closed, her daydreams performing in front of her for the umpteenth time: Sasori smiling at her and touching her neck, Sasori leaning down and bringing their lips together, Sasori pulling open her Akatsuki cloak, his wooden hands cool against the soft skin of her waist as he pushed her shirt up, his mouth hot on her sensitive nipples, his hand diving slowly into her panties, teasing her, tormenting her.

She felt her groin growing warmer and squeezed her thighs together tightly, sending pleasurable volts up through her body. A lustful sigh escaped unbidden from her mouth and she opened her eyes, checking for any sign that she wasn't alone. Assured, she allowed herself to lie back on the bench and un-paused her fantasy. She pretended her hands were his and her eyes fell shut again.

Her fingers played over her stomach and then down to the hem of her short skirt. She dragged it up, fingertips lightly scraping her inner thigh and then grazing the crotch of her underwear, causing her now hyper-sensitive pussy to fire tingles up her spine. She bit her lip, imagining his wooden fingers pushing her damp panties aside, stroking her intimately, and finally sliding inside her.

She groaned in pleasure and pressed herself wantonly into her hand, rubbing her palm into her clit until her body quaked with an orgasm. She thrust her hips up, riding the waves of gratification until she lay still and sated in the cool cavern of the warehouse. She sighed in content and pulled her hand out of her underwear, absently smoothing her skirt back down.

Suzumebachi still loomed next to her. After she sat up and wiped her hand on a corner of the rag she'd used for oiling, she locked the marionette back into the empty scroll that still lay open on the bench. He vanished in a puff of smoke and she wasted little time collecting the rest of her things despite being intoxicated with a post-coital high.

It wasn't easy finding alone time to scratch that itch when traveling with three men after all.

As she approached the dangling row of puppets nearest the entrance, she heard the door ease open and piles of sand sweep inside. Peering around the end the of the rack cautiously, she saw Sasori walking in her direction and a small smile bloomed on her face.

The chunky form of Hiruko and the distinctive Akatsuki cloak were both nowhere to be seen-probably safe inside scrolls hidden somewhere on Sasori's person-and so Sakura's eyes happily feasted on the redhead's delicate, immortalized features. She worshipped his aloof brown eyes and she idolized the craftsmanship of his own face, the flawlessness of the skin and the perfectly wrought details so much more advanced than anything she could achieve with her own hands.

She wanted desperately to run her hands over his face and into his hair, to feel how close to perfection her mentor had really come. Instead she moved to meet him halfway, dragging her feet thanks to her intoxicating high.

"Sasori-sama," she dreamily greeted him.

He stopped and appraised the state of his apprentice but before he could analyze much, she dropped to her knees in front of him. Wondering if she was still feeling the effects of his latest poison and curious, he didn't move to catch her. He felt her small hands settle on his knees and then slide upwards to grip the back of his thighs. She rapturously pressed her face into him.

"Sakura," he began.

She looked up at him with lidded eyes.

"Sasori-sama...I want to do this for you," she cooed, her palm tracing his hip around to the front of his pants.

Her nimble fingers pulled open the buttons but before she could expose much, her wrists were encircled firmly by her mentor's inhuman grip. She peered up, confused at first, and then caught the apathetic look in his eyes.

Had she offended him? Or worse...had she simply had no impact on him at all?

"S-sasori-sama..." She stuttered.

"Your guard is unacceptably low."

Her face burned and her muscles deadened with embarrassment. She swallowed as calmly as she could. He dropped her arms and walked away from her as she clambered slowly to her feet.

"You better be prepared," he called back without emotion. "I located the Ichibi."

* * *

Naruto and Tsunade raced across the rooftops of the main street's line of shops when the younger shinobi spotted the blue form of Suigetsu leaning casually against the outer wall of their inn next to a mound of burning rubble. He leaped down and dodged a few panicking civilians who had yet to get out of the sudden war zone before finally making it to the other teen's side.

"What's going on?"

Suigetsu slurped some water out of his cup and gestured vaguely above them.

Through the smoke still wafting out of a gaping hole in the inn's exterior flew a black blur wielding a glinting katana that Naruto remembered well. Itachi met Sasuke's attack in mid-air, parrying away the blade and snatching at his brother's wrist. Sasuke found himself flying through the empty space above the street and quickly flipped, using chakra to adhere himself to the side of another inn.

Surprisingly, the younger Uchiha wobbled slightly and put his free hand on the building to steady himself.

"Sasuke..." Naruto exclaimed, riveted to the brothers' battle.

Taking stock of the rubble around them, Naruto glanced up at the inn and noticed that Itachi's room had been thoroughly bombed.

"How did Sasuke know which room was Itachi's?" He eventually asked.

Suigetsu snorted. "I told him."

Dark and shadowy storm clouds were beginning to gather above the streets of Tanzaku City, which the Mist-nin didn't like the look of. They couldn't be natural, which meant that one of the Uchiha brothers had likely encouraged their formation through the fire techniques that continued to eat away at the rooftops.

"Clouds probably mean Sasuke's gearing up for some large-scale lightning technique," he mused, his gaze following Naruto's to the sky. "We may want to move lest he fry us."

"What? But there are still civilians around!"

Suigetsu took a drink of water. "And?"

Naruto growled.

"Oh, chill out. Haven't you noticed? Sasuke's sick or something. He's not winning this fight."

Frowning, Naruto resumed watching the fight and found what Suigetsu said was true. Sasuke's movements were more sluggish and the usual deadly accuracy of his attacks wasn't there. Had Sakura poisoned him? he wondered uncomfortably.

"I'm stopping this," he declared.


End file.
